Appeal to home XL Bully dogs after breed ban date confirmed
They'll be banned from the end of this year
Last updated 1st Nov 2023
A Merseyside rescue centre is urging people to take in XL Bully dogs to save them from being destroyed - after a date for the breed's ban in England and Wales was confirmed.
The government has announced that they'll be banned from the end of this year following a spate of attacks across the country.
From New Years Eve they will have to be muzzled in public and kept on a lead.
It will become illegal to own an XL Bully from February 2-24 - unless it is registered.
Freshfields Animal Rescue is caring for some XL Bully dogs and is hoping to place them in safe homes before the ban comes into effect.
Mel Kermode from Freshfields Animal Rescue said:
"The new owner has to commit to securing this dog for life by going through this process and we're asking them to commit to a dog that at the moment they don't know.
"We need people to step up and step forward to come and get to know these dogs, see how wonderful they are and get them placed securely in a home and we will support people to go through that process in terms of guidance, the actual court process, the costings and so on. That's all still being debated in how we can best do that, but we very much want to do our very best with that to support the animals when they're placed in these homes and make them secure.
"We'll be with them every step of the way"
"If it encourages the potential new owners to come forward wanting to help, we'll be with them every step of the way and the more we can place like that, the more we can help in the short window that we've got."
Ministers have said £200 in compensation will be offered to owners who decide have their pets put to sleep by a vet.
Mel added:
"If you want to keep your pet - going through the court process is difficult, it's something that you have to do and comply with but it's not impossible by any means!
"I would hope that not many people would take that route (of taking the compensation), but if they're worried and scared they perhaps will so it's important to reach out and just gain some understanding, gain some support of what is actually involved in the process and take your pet through it, rather than take the compensation.
"It's early days for all of us in getting that news, the reason behind that I don't actually know, as I'm sure many others don't have clarity on that at the moment - apart from removing animals from the population, I'm not sure what that is going to achieve. An alternative would be to provide that money to support people going through the exemption process.
"I see that rescues would be granted £100 towards these decisions as well, but we are a non-destruct rescue and we will stand by that.
"They've ended in our care and they have no owner and they happen to look a certain way and we need to match them up with some people.
"We need public help"
"If those people are out there and want to help, please come forward to us and all the other rescues who are just struggling.
"We feel very strongly about our responsibility to these animals. We are their owner at the moment, but we may not be allowed to be - so we need to take action and we need public help to do that."