North Wales Police kennelling bill for banned-breed dogs more than doubled in 2025
North Wales Police spent £139,969 kennelling dogs seized under prohibited breeds legislation in 2025, according to figures released under freedom of information laws.
The total is more than double the previous year and more than 40 times the amount recorded three years earlier.
The force seized 27 dogs under Section 1 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 last year.
Section 1 covers dogs suspected of being a prohibited breed, and is separate from the part of the legislation dealing with dogs involved in attacks.
Of the 27 dogs seized, eight were disclaimed by their owners, meaning the owner chose not to contest the seizure.
Five were ordered to be destroyed by a court.
Six were given Contingent Destruction Orders and placed on the Index of Exempted Dogs, a national register that allows prohibited-type dogs to be kept under strict conditions, including neutering, microchipping, and being muzzled in public.
Three were returned to their owners after assessment confirmed they were not of a prohibited type.
Five cases remained outstanding at the time of the force’s response.
North Wales Police recorded total kennelling costs of £3,341 in 2022.
By 2023, the figure was £11,547.50, rising to £62,521.40 in 2024.
Two factors account for the trajectory: the daily rate charged for kennelling and the time dogs spend there.
The average daily cost per dog was £12.90 in 2022 and reached £23.83 in 2025.
Average stays have also risen, from 22 days in 2020 to a peak of 128 days in 2023, before falling to 76 days in 2025.
Because dogs seized in earlier years can still be generating costs while their cases move through the courts, the 2025 total reflects spending across the accumulated caseload rather than only dogs seized that year.
The XL Bully was added to the list of prohibited dog types in England and Wales in 2023, with possession of the breed without an exemption made illegal from 1 February 2024.
The freedom of information response does not address whether the addition of the XL Bully has contributed to the rise in costs.
North Wales Police’s dog section was part of an operational alliance with Cheshire Police until mid-2024, and no longer has access to outcome records from before 2025.
That means seizure volumes for the years when costs rose most steeply are not available.
Dogs assessed at the force’s own facility and found not to be of a prohibited type are returned the same day under what North Wales Police describes as a new procedure.
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