Fear that more XL bully dogs will be abandoned due to 'lack of clarity' from government
Two XL bully's were left tied to a fence in Huyton
The owner of a Liverpool doggy day care centre says they've been 'inundated' with calls and messages as the uncertainty over the XL bully dog ban continues.
The Prime Minister said last month that they would be banned by the end of this year, following a series of serious attacks across the country.
They will be the latest breed to be added to the list of dogs banned under the Dangerous Dogs Act.
The government said on announcing the plan to ban the breed that:
"Further details on the next steps for developing a ban and information for owners will be provided in due course."
However, with less than 12 weeks to go until 2023 ends, no further information has been released.
It's leading to concerns that more dog owners will panic and abandon their XL bully dogs.
That has been seen in Huyton, where two bully dogs were found tied to railings. They were taken by the police to local kennels.
Precious Paws in Liverpool is due to host workshops next month to advise and support XL bully owners ahead of the ban coming into effect.
Kim Barrow, owner of Precious Paws Liverpool, said:
"We've held off giving a definitive date (for the workshop) because we were waiting for some news, some information, some clarity from the government, which sadly has been non-existent.
"People are desperate for some clarity"
"I think people are desperate for some clarity as to what what the breed ban is going to consist of, how are they going to define which dogs are banned and which aren't. And so anybody who has got a bully breed at the moment is feeling extraordinarily vulnerable and they just want to get clarity so that they've got time to plan what they need to do to protect their dog.
"Members of their family, animals that have grown up with their children, we have to not forget that children in this scenario could be really badly affected by this. A lot of these dogs are support dogs and and suddenly they could potentially be taken away from them.
"This lack of clarity is absolutely cruel to those responsible owners who care passionately about their dogs.
"It's a very scary time for people and abandonment is going to increase.
"Shelters are going to be overwhelmed, and the shelters have been saying this since the ban was announced, but again no support, no clarity for people who are going to be on the other receiving end of this."
Mrs Barrow, along with the Dogs Trust, have also questioned the government's plan to have this ban in place by the end of the year.
George Bloor, Head Of Operations (North), Dogs Trust, said:
"Consider the practicalities of the ban. If we assume tens of thousands of dogs are likely to be part of this, each one of those has to be physically assessed. If you add the number of hours required alone, how long does that take and we're talking about not even 12 weeks.
Then you've got to store that data. Then you've got to get the owners to comply with it.
"We think it's untenable to deliver that by the end of the year. And if it is tried and if they try to deliver this by the end of the year, the reality is we will have a hodgepodge of issues across the UK instead of something which does what it should do, protect the public and stop dog bites."
Amid the fear of more dogs being abandoned, Mr Bloor is urging XL bully owners 'not to panic.'
"There will be an amnesty period"
"We do not know a significant amount more about this ban yet because government hasn't released it. But what we do know is that when it comes into effect, there will be an amnesty period and that will allow owners some time to get the the processes in place so that they can continue to own their dogs.
"So that's really important when you see these cases of abandonment and in and around Merseyside."
In a statement, a DEFRA spokesperson said:
"The Government is taking urgent action to bring forward the Prime Minister’s commitment to ban XL Bully dog types following a concerning rise in attacks and fatalities, which appears to be driven by this type of dog.
"Current owners of XL bullies do not need to take any action now but Defra officials will continue to deliver this work at pace and we will be setting out next steps shortly."