GWENT Police have confirmed that the dog destroyed following a fatal attack on a nine month old baby in Rogiet at the weekend was an XL Bully. The breed was confirmed by a dog legislation officer (DLO) today.

The dog, a six-year-old XL bully, was registered with the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and a certificate of exemption was issued in 2024.

ACC Vicki Townsend said: “While the dog in this case was registered as an XL bully, it was done so proactively before the ban came into effect. In preparation for the new law, when requesting a certificate of exemption, owners were not required to formally identify the dog’s breed.

“In cases where a suspected banned breed is involved only a DLO or a court-approved independent assessor can make an official determination. No arrests have been made at this time, and this is still an ongoing investigation, and official identification of the dog was necessary.

“We understand that there is a significant amount of interest and concern about this incident, and we have seen the community rally together in this difficult time.

“It is our responsibility as a police service to ensure that the death of a baby boy is fully investigated and so we again urge people to be responsible, and to consider the impact that speculation, rumour, and commentary can have on the family and on the integrity of our investigation..

“Where possible, we will continue to update our communities, but in the meantime if you have any concerns, please contact us.”

Officers are continuing to carry out their enquiries and anyone with information is asked to contact us quoting log reference 2500349915.

You can contact Gwent Police by calling 101, sending a direct message on social media, or via our website.

You can also call Crimestoppers anonymously by phone or online.