22 December 2023 , 17:36
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An XL Bully has been seized and two people have been arrested after a puppy was mauled to death in the street in Doncaster, police say.
The "out of control" dog, believed to have escaped from a home, attacked a chihuahua that was on a walk. The puppy was taken to the vet but sadly had to be put to sleep due to the severity of its injuries. Firearms officers attended the scene and arrested a 22-year-old man and a 21-year-old woman — both accused of owning a "dog dangerously out of control."
South Yorkshire Police said in its full statement: " Today (22 December) at 10:20am we were called following reports that an XL Bully was out of control on Charles Street in Skellow, attacking a Chihuahua being walked. The XL Bully is believed to have escaped from a nearby property. The puppy was taken to the vet, where it has sadly had to be put to sleep. Firearms officers attended the scene. The XL Bully was seized and remains in police kennels. Two people, a 22-year-old man and a 21-year-old woman have been arrested on suspicion of "owning a dog dangerously of control."
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak dubbed the American XL Bully dogs as a "danger to our communities" when he outlined plans to make it illegal to own the breed. From 31 December all XL Bully's must be kept on a lead and muzzled in public. It will also be illegal from this date to breed, sell, advertise, gift, exchange and abandon these dogs or let them stray. Dogs on the exempt list will have to be neutered and microchipped.
From February 1 it will be illegal to own an XL bully in England and Wales. The ban was announced in September following several attacks involving the breed and the exemption scheme was introduced for people who already owned XL bullies. There have been 351 attacks by bully breeds in 2023, according to campaign group Bully Watch.
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The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has published details defining an American Bully XL. According to this, the dogs are a "large dog with a muscular body and blocky head, suggesting great strength and power for its size. Powerfully built individual."