At least 246 XL bully dogs shall be euthanised when a ban on the breed comes into pressure on the finish of the yr, Sky News can solely reveal.
The dogs at the moment reside in rescue centres run by the RSPCA, Blue Cross, Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, Dogs Trust and Mayhew, amongst others.
Under the ban, which comes into pressure in two phases, XL bullies can’t be lawfully rehomed or offered after 31 December.
It follows a spate of recent assaults and deaths involving the breed.
Any XL bully in rescue centres in England and Wales should be put down until they are often rehomed earlier than the top of the yr.
Despite rescuers having the ability to apply for exemptions to maintain the breed, the canine can be pressured to reside its life out in a kennel, which charities say they’d by no means select for welfare causes.
Pet house owners are required to have their dogs muzzled and on a lead when in public from 1 January, however they’ve till February to use for an exemption to personal a banned breed.
Many extra XL bullies may very well be put down subsequent yr – the Association of Dogs and Cats Homes mentioned the 246 to be exterminated signify lower than half of all of the controversial breed to have been rescued within the UK.
The complete cost to charities to destroy their XL bullies may exceed £90,000, in keeping with Blue Cross.
The organisation mentioned it prices between £350 to £400 to kill an enormous canine like an XL bully, as their dimension means cremation prices are elevated and extra medication are wanted to euthanise them.
As a end result, vets “face the prospect of being requested to place to sleep wholesome dogs whose behaviour poses no threat”, the RSPCA mentioned.
The authorities is providing XL bully house owners £200 in direction of the cost of placing their canine to sleep ought to they select to, however Blue Cross mentioned the compensation “is not going to substitute the love and affection of a much-loved household pet”.
XL bullies throughout the nation additionally must be neutered by February – one thing which is placing a whole lot of pressure on rescue charities.
Blue Cross has greater than 1,000 XL bullies that it’s going to neuter for his or her house owners.
Its spokeswoman Becky Thwaites advised Sky News: “If the timeframe for neutering is just not prolonged we shall be placed in a position the place different preventative work resembling vaccinations and routine neutering should be stopped.”
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Similarly, the RSPCA mentioned: “There is a big threat that rescue centres and the veterinary occupation won’t be able to deal with the calls for placed on them by this regulation.”
The necessities of the ban imply kilos that choose up stray XL bullies may also need to euthanise them.
‘Dogs being surrendered or deserted’
In West Yorkshire, an XL bully named Daisy was deserted three weeks in the past. Found ravenous, she was picked up by a pound, almost 10kg underweight.
The pound, which Sky News is selecting to not title, has seen a rise in XL bullies being deserted.
Like rescue centres, as soon as the ban is available in on the finish of the yr, Daisy can not depart the pound to be rehomed. She shall be put to sleep, together with two different not too long ago deserted XL bullies.
The RSPCA mentioned there have been “already, anecdotal experiences of dogs being surrendered or deserted throughout the rescue sector”.
In an try to overturn the ban, marketing campaign group Don’t Ban Me, Licence Me has launched authorized motion towards the federal government.
If the federal government maintains that its resolution to ban the XL bully was affordable and lawful, or it does not reply in any respect, the campaigners will launch a judicial overview.
If they can’t get a fast judicial overview, they may apply for an injunction to delay the ban coming in, they mentioned.
The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs mentioned the ban was introduced in to “shield the general public from tragic canine assaults”.
A spokesperson added: “Alongside this, we’re centered on making certain that the complete vary of present powers to sort out canine management points are successfully utilized throughout all breeds of canine.”
(c) Sky News 2023: Hundreds of XL bullies to be killed when breed is officially banned at end of year
