XL Bully owners given £200 compensation after dogs destroyed as new stats reveal Scottish Government payouts

XL Bully owners have been given £200 in Scottish Government cash as compensation for their dogs being destroyed.

The beasts were banned north of the border as part of tough new rules which came into force last month.

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XL Bullies were added to the dangerous dog list in England and Wales after people lost their lives in attacks by the breed.

Then-PM brought in tough new curbs on owners to try and prevent any more attacks, with new laws coming into place in the rest of the UK on December 31 2023.

But Holyrood ministers delayed the rollout of a Scottish ban, leading to fears the country became a dumping ground for XLs fleeing England and Wales.

Nats chiefs soon introduced a Scottish ban on XL Bullies after several attacks – with one area being branded Scotland's XL Bully hotspot.

The ban proved controversial, with many agreeing it was necessary to protect the public while others said the problem was bad owners rather than the dogs.

The first phase came into force on February 23, with new laws saying owners must have their XL Bullies muzzled in public and it became illegal to sell, breed, or abandon the dogs in Scotland.

From August 1, it became illegal to own one of the vicious canines without an exemption certificate.

Any XL Bully which didn't have an exemption certificate before the deadline would have to be destroyed.

To qualify, dogs had to be microchipped by the time they were eight weeks old and neutered by the time they were 18 months old.

Owners also had to get third-party public liability insurance and pay an application fee of £92.40.

The only way to get a new exemption is through a court order.

We previously told how thousands of exemptions were handed out as the new rules came into force last month.

Figures revealed there were over 3,000 exemptions handed out to owners across Scotland.

But those who had their dogs destroyed were able to claim compensation for the cost of euthanising their pet and for the loss of their animal.

Figures revealed by the Scottish Daily Mail revealed that 19 owners had successfully claimed the £200 compo cash.

The government also received a separate £100 claim for just the loss of their dog.

Despite the new curbs, there have still been incidents involving the deadly breed in recent months.

Just last week, the owner of two XLs who savaged a blind spaniel in a Dunblane park was jailed.

The beasts injured the other dog so badly that it had to be put down.

In May, an incident in Angus saw a crazed bully dog savaged a horse and left a 12-year-old schoolgirl rider seriously hurt and traumatised.

The monster pet escaped and charged towards three young horseriders.

And an Edinburgh woman had her hand CHEWED OFF in an attack by her “loving and loyal” XL pets, which were rescued from England.

Minister for Victims and Community Safety Siobhian Brown said: “XL Bully dog laws support responsible ownership and public safety as effectively as possible.

“The Scottish Government continues to engage closely with Police Scotland, local authorities, the SSPCA and others to help ensure effective implementation of the safeguards.

“We have no plans to reopen legislation.”