RSPCA braced for "hugely upsetting" time as hundreds of XL bullies could be put down

Leading animal charity RSPCA say staff will be going through a "hugely upsetting" time being faced putting down potentially hundreds of American XL bullies.

It is now illegal to breed, sell, advertise, exchange, gift, rehome, abandon or allow XL bully dogs to stray in England and Wales. The dogs must also be kept on a lead and muzzled in public.

It means any XL bullies left in RSPCA shelters will no longer be able to be re-homed, with staff now having to consider putting them to sleep.

Charities like the RSPCA can apply for special exemption rules for rescues which would allow the dog to be kept in shelters, but there's concern that's simply not feasible.

"This, for the RSPCA, is not an option", said the charity's dangerous dog lead Dr Sam Gaines.

"We cannot keep dogs for years and years in kennelled environments because it's not a good quality of life and obviously it would have an impact on other dogs we can rescue."

She added: "We have rehomed all of the dogs that we have been legally able to. Any of the dogs left in our care that are XL bullies are going to have to be put to sleep."

"For us, January is going to be an incredibly difficult time, and hugely upsetting for animal care staff and veterinary care teams who have looked after these animals, but sadly are going to have to put them to sleep because of how they look."

A Defra spokesperson said:

“We are putting rehoming centres on an equal footing with other dog owners, allowing them to choose to keep their existing XL Bully dogs as long as they register them, have them neutered and keep them muzzled and on a lead when in public.

“This only applies to dogs that were already in their care when the breed was added to the Dangerous Dogs Act.”

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