American XL Bully dogs are being abandoned in the street ahead of the Government ban on the breed which is due to come into force on New Year’s Day.
From 1 January it will be illegal to rehome, sell, or breed an XL Bully after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak branded the dogs “a danger to our communities” following a string of fatal attacks.
The full ban on owning a Bully without an exemption certificate begins on 1 February 2024.
There are estimated to be at least 10,000 XL Bullies in the country – some experts say it is more than 100,000 – with a particular concentration in the North of England.
Rescue centres say they have been inundated with unwanted dogs since the ban was announced, but from tomorrow they will no longer be able to take in any more XL Bullies.
Jayne Dendle, from the Save Our Seized Dogs campaign group, said reports of XL Bullies being simply abandoned in the street are on the increase.
“Breeders who don’t care are just going to dump them and we are seeing this in droves,” she told i. “Reports of stray dogs in the street are coming up multiple times a day.
“For these backyard breeders, the dogs are of no use to them any more, it’s just going to cost them in neutering, buying muzzles etc, and they just aren’t interested.
“They are absolutely heartless.”
Social media groups for XL Bully dogs are filled with reports of appeals for help with unwanted dogs or dogs found in the street.
Rebecca Smyth, chair of the charity Pawprints to Freedom, posted images of a 60kg Bully abandoned in the London area in a Facebook group last night.
She believes the owner had been living in a caravan park and recently moved on without taking the dog.
Ms Smyth said she is hoping to get the XL Bully into Scotland where the ban will not apply.
“Is there an experienced, pet and child free home in Scotland who can please hold the stray XL for 5 days?” she wrote.
“Or a kennels? He has been offered a rescue space but only in 5 days time, he cannot stay in England so needs to move tomorrow or Sunday up to Scotland.
“So grateful for this lifeline, have to cover the 5 days they need to prepare him a space.”
Pawprints to Freedom also posted about another XL Bully, called Cookie according to her microchip, who was abandoned at a vets on Christmas Eve.
Ms Smyth said the dog was “emaciated and in horrific condition, used for breeding and then chucked out like rubbish.”
Despite the new rules that will come into force from 1 January, i understands that police officers who will have to enforce the law have yet to be trained on identifying the new banned breed.
Dog Legislation Officers (DLOs), of which there are less than 100 across all police forces in the country, are set to take part in training sessions at the end of January, it is understood.
The Government says more than 6,000 owners have applied for an exemption certificate which allows them to keep their XL Bully dog, as long as they agree to have it neutered and muzzled in public at all times.
Any XL Bully dogs seized by council dog wardens, or those in rescue centres which have not been exempted, will have to be put to sleep from 1 January.
“It fills us all with horror,” said Ms Dendle.
“Being in touch with rescues, I know how hard they’ve all worked to get dogs adopted and how devastated they are at the ones being tied up or dumped.
“Why should rescues be left with the heartbreak of taking an XL Bully to the vet to be put to sleep?
“It’s a totally unfair situation.”
A spokesperson for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) told i earlier this month: “We have taken quick and decisive action to protect the public from dog attacks by adding the XL Bully type to the list of dogs prohibited under the Dangerous Dogs Act.
“We have published clear guidance and owners must take action to ensure our strict conditions on XL Bully types are met from 31 December – including ensuring their dog is on a lead and muzzled in public.
“A transition period runs until 31 January 2024, allowing owners who wish to keep their dog to apply for an exemption scheme.”
