By Bill Heaney
Conservative justice spokesperson Russell Findlay, right, wants so-called bully dogs banned – and has urged the government to be quick about it.
He told the Scottish Parliament this week: “The United Kingdom Government is banning XL bully dogs after a spate of horrific attacks, some of which were fatal.
“However, the Scottish National Party has refused to sign up to that plan.
“It looks like it is willing to risk public safety just to diverge from the rest of the UK. Will the Deputy First Minister U-turn and ban XL bully dogs before more people get hurt?
But the Deputy First Minister, Shona Robison, told MSPs: “That is a complete misrepresentation of the facts by Russell Findlay. Let me say what is actually happening.
“We are carefully considering the evidence on XL bully dogs and whether similar changes to ban the breed should be applied in Scotland.
“Public safety is paramount in our deliberations. Scotland already has a dog control notice regime that is unique in the UK and which is focused on preventing dog attacks from happening in the first place.
“However, we remain concerned about the reported attacks and deaths due to suspected XL bully dogs.
“The UK Government, of course, announced the proposal to ban XL bully dogs without giving any notice to the Scottish Government and with no consultation. Perhaps that was not the most helpful way to proceed.
“We are carefully considering the evidence and meeting a range of stakeholders and animal welfare organisations, and we will take forward those considerations as swiftly as possible.”