Dogs Trust announces XL Bullies will no longer be rehomed

Dogs Trust has announced it will not rehome XL Bullies ‘anytime in the future’.

The charity’s statement follows an attack in Norfolk on Monday, October 16, which saw an XL Bully maul its owner.

A previous attack took place in Basildon as a Dogs Trust staff member was attacked on hospitalised on October 5.

A spokesman for Dogs Trust said: “Following the government’s announcement, we immediately stopped promoting any dogs that we thought could fall under the ban.

"In light of the proposed ban, we do not expect to rehome XL Bullies anytime in the future."

The Basildon incident saw the carer attacked by a dog named Klay who was allegedly an XL Bully put down after the incident.

Klay was put down following discussions between Dogs Trust leadership and the staff member was discharged after recovering from the attack.

The Dogs Trust spokesman added: "Since the Prime Minister announced a ban on American Bully XL type dogs, we have seen an increase in the number of calls regarding American Bully XL-type dogs.

"Many of these calls are from owners seeking clarity on what the ban means for them and their dogs. However, some are from people considering rehoming their dog in light of the recent ban announcement. We are urging American Bully XL owners who call us to stay calm and not panic.

"The Government has confirmed there will be a transition period before the ban comes into effect, so we are doing all we can to support owners.

"This includes providing behaviour advice through our Behaviour Support Line and signposting callers to our website for advice and guidance pages where we offer specific advice including online training tips.

"We will also be offering new services such as specialist muzzle training to support dogs affected by the ban to help owners comply with new restrictions.

"Until the government has issued further guidance, we are not currently re-homing any dogs that we think could be typed as XL Bully type dogs."