Natasha Goodall and Jordan Williams' beloved American bulldog Ralph was seized by the police at Mr Williams' south Wales home on Monday but the couple claim their dog is exempt from the XL Bully ban
A couple have slammed the police after their dog was seized from their home on a court-issued warrant. Natasha Goodall and her partner Jordan Williams were at her house in Swansea on Monday morning when they received a call that the police had arrived at Mr Williams' home.
The cops had a warrant to search the home in Hillrise Park, Clydach, Swansea for “a pit bull type dog, white in colour”. The pair rushed to the property and let in a police officer and a dog handler.
Mr Williams' nearly eight-year-old American bulldog, Ralph, and put him in a cage in the back of a van, despite protests from the couple who claim he is exempt from the dangerous breeds ban. Ms Goodall said they had since had no form of contact from the police, but believe that their pet has been taken for testing in England, reports Wales Online.
Ms Goodall said: “We did have the police out about a month and a half to two months ago, who came and took photos of our dogs, and they said then that we won't hear anything else from it, and our minds were put at rest, but when that happened on Monday, it was just chaos.
“Certain dog breeds have to be exempt, like XL bullies, but Ralph isn't an XL bully, he's an American bulldog. He isn't under the dangerous dogs act, he isn't a banned breed. We tried to tell the officers this.
“On the warrant paper it said they were coming for a pitbull, and outside the house, they were saying they were coming for an XL bully, and Ralph is not either of them.
“We let one police officer and a dog handler into the house, and as soon as they got hold of Ralph, they put him straight into the van. We didn't get chance to say goodbye, didn't get a chance to put him in the cage ourselves.”
She added: “My partner's street backs onto a school, and all the children were out playing in the field because it was breaktime, so they all saw exactly what was going on.
“The police haven't given us an incident number, they haven't given me and my partner any support, there's been absolutely no contact. The only person we've had contact with is Save Our Seized Dogs. They have got in contact with the dog handler, so we know that Ralph is in England somewhere. We don't know anything, and they won't tell us any information.”
n the UK, five dog breeds are banned – the pit bull terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro, and as of February 1, 2024, the American Bully XL, also known as the XL Bully, unless owners have a certificate of exemption.
According to the RSPCA, dogs who are seized are held in kennels away from their owner, whilst being assessed to determine if they are a banned type.
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