Race to home abandoned XL bullies as deadline nears

ANIMAL charities and rescue groups are racing to rehome abandoned XL bully dogs before New Year’s Eve, when the ban on the breed will mean they face having to put them down.

Rishi Sunak announced in September that American XL bullies would be banned by the end of the year, after a spate of fatal attacks.

From tomorrow, it will be illegal to sell, breed or give away an XL bully-type dog and it will be an offence to own one from Feb 1 unless it is registered to the Index of Exempted Dogs.

The RSPCA said it had until New Year’s Eve to rehome the animals, with any XL bullies remaining in their care having to be put down. Dr Sam Gaines, of the animal charity, said: “We are unfortunately facing a deadline ... if we cannot rehome the XL bullies that are in our care that are ready to be rehomed, we are going to be in the unfortunate situation that they are going to have to be put to sleep.”

The charity estimated that as many as 200 XL bullies are in the pet refuge sector but the figure could be higher.

Local shelters and rescue groups have also seen a rise in the number of the soon-to-be-banned pets being abandoned and ending up in their care. The Dogs Trust has previously said it would not take any more XL bully dogs because it has a policy of never putting down a healthy dog.

Reports emerged earlier this month of some dogs being sent to Scotland for rehoming, as the new ban will only come into effect in England and Wales.

Social media posts suggested that several of the pets had been transported north of the border, adding weight to concerns that many breeders will relocate their operations to Scotland.