Nottingham Forest star received a court fine for having an unregistered dog.

Morgan Gibbs-White did not register his dog due to being busy

According to The Sun: Footballer Morgan Gibbs-White, valued at £60 million, was taken to court for failing to register his XL Bully breed dog on time. His lawyer claims that the athlete was simply 'too busy.'

Gibbs-White failed to appear at the Nottingham court hearing as he was preparing for a match against Latvia.

However, through his lawyer, he assured that he would register the dog by December 12, otherwise it could be euthanized.

The athlete, who has two children, missed the registration deadline that passed in February last year. All XL Bully breed dogs had to be registered following a ban due to numerous attacks on people in 2022 and 2023.

Owners of such dogs without a certificate are subject to criminal prosecution.

Gibbs-White came under police scrutiny after failing to register the dog with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

His lawyer Mark Haslam assured that this happened due to a technical error.

“It’s quite simple, he forgot to comply with DEFRA registration. He is very busy.”

Haslam added that Gibbs-White complied with all conditions for keeping an XL Bully, except for the registration, which will be done.

District Judge Grace Leong stated that Gibbs-White “missed the opportunity to register his XL Bully within the specified time.”

She requires the dog to be registered by December 12, otherwise it may be taken and destroyed under the Dangerous Dogs Act.

The player is also required to pay £284 in court costs.

After a 20-minute hearing, Haslam assured that the registration will be completed, and no destruction will take place.

Some Premier League stars are buying XL Bully dogs for security due to the rising number of home burglaries targeting players.

Gibbs-White lives with his fiancée Britannia de Villiers and two children in a £700,000 home.

In the UK, there are about 55,000 XL Bully dogs, with around 20,000 considered to be kept illegally. According to reports, 848 dogs that did not meet the requirements were seized and destroyed by the police in England and Wales between February and September last year.

This situation highlights serious issues related to owning dangerous breed dogs in the UK. Following the ban on this breed in the country, many owners have faced legal difficulties. Gibbs-White is not the only one in such a situation, and a general trend towards stricter control over the ownership of these categories of dogs is observed.