XL Bully neglect shoots up by 239% since ban as dogs found beheaded and floating dead in cages

WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT The carnal foundation is releasing the figures to people the one-year day (September 15) of the UK Government announcing the breed would beryllium banned

Alarming figures from the RSPCA amusement a immense summation successful reports of neglect, abandonment and intentional harm towards XL Bullies successful the archetypal 8 months of this year.

The carnal charity is releasing the figures to people the one-year day (September 15) of the UK Government announcing the breed would beryllium banned. The instrumentality was enacted successful England and Wales connected December 31 past year. The fig of reports made to the RSPCA of intentional harm to XL Bullies successful the archetypal 8 months of 2024 was 103, compared to 39 successful the aforesaid play successful 2023 - soon earlier the prohibition was announced, marking a emergence of 164%.

Meanwhile, reports of abandoned XL Bullies person accrued by 692% (103 from January to August 2024, compared to 13 for the aforesaid play successful 2023). And reports of neglect towards the breed person accrued by 239% (366 from January to August 2024, compared to 108 successful 2023).

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Recent incidents which person been reported to the RSPCA include:

• The assemblage and caput of a decapitated XL Bully benignant canine were recovered successful a shallow sedate successful Evesham, Worcestershire, past week.
• A dormant XL Bully was recovered with caput injuries successful a Middlesbrough parkland successful June.
• A cage with a dormant XL Bully wrong was recovered floating successful a Birmingham canal, besides successful June.
• An XL Bully puppy was discovered dormant successful a cage successful Bexleyheath successful January, with blunt unit trauma injuries to their head.
• Also successful January, an XL Bully was recovered dormant successful a South London alleyway with a fractured skull.

As a effect of XL Bullies being banned, determination are present 5 types of dogs which are illegal successful England and Wales nether the Dangerous Dogs Act - including the pit bull terrier, Japanese rosa, fila brasiliero and dogo argentino.

Dr Samantha Gaines, the RSPCA’s canine payment adept and the charity’s pb connected breed-specific legislation, said: “These are precise concerning figures. We’ve seen an summation mostly successful reports of superior maltreatment to animals - peculiarly intentional harm and beatings - but the summation successful reports relating specifically to XL Bully types is precise alarming and we fearfulness this is simply a nonstop effect of the caller UK Government prohibition connected this benignant of dog.

“This could beryllium a effect of the other pressures this prohibition has placed connected hopeless owners who whitethorn already beryllium struggling to attraction for their dogs during this outgo of surviving crisis. But adjacent worse, these could beryllium deliberate acts of cruelty towards dogs who person go progressively demonised successful caller months.

“We’re besides heartbroken that galore dogs person been and volition beryllium enactment to slumber simply due to the fact that they are considered to beryllium unsafe due to the fact that they look a definite way.”

The RSPCA is simply a subordinate of the Dog Control Coalition which has agelong been campaigning for an urgent reappraisal of authorities that bans dogs based connected their benignant and appearance. Protecting nationalist information is simply a precedence but the existent canine power attack is not the reply and is failing to support the nationalist portion besides compromising canine welfare.

Tens of thousands of XL Bully-type dogs were exempted by their owners aft the UK Government announced the impending ban, and are present surviving nether strict rules specified arsenic ever being connected the lead, muzzled successful nationalist and having been neutered.

As good arsenic cases of deliberate cruelty to these dogs, the RSPCA is acrophobic astir the payment of thousands of different XL bully-type dogs arsenic a effect of the restrictions placed connected them by the ban.

What the instrumentality alteration means for owners

Those inactive successful possession of XL Bully dogs indispensable corroborate they person had their carnal neutered to person a Certificate of Exemption. The arguable breed is amerciable to person successful England and Wales if you bash not person an exemption letter. A caller alteration to the instrumentality present means those not successful possession of a Certificate of Exemption are successful breach of the law.

Guidance from the government's website reads: "If you ain an XL Bully dog, you indispensable supply Defra with grounds that your canine has been neutered for your Certificate of Exemption to stay valid. If you bash not supply grounds that your canine has been neutered by the applicable deadline, your canine volition nary longer beryllium exempt.

"Your XL Bully canine indispensable beryllium permanently neutered. Male dogs indispensable beryllium neutered done castration, and pistillate dogs indispensable beryllium spayed. An RCVS-registered veterinary surgeon indispensable execute the neutering procedure."

Dogs which are astatine slightest 7 months aged but little than 12 months inactive person until December 31, 2024 for their receipt to beryllium handed in. Dogs little than 7 months aged volition person until June 30, 2025.