A dog owner who selflessly rescued an XL Bully now has nine puppies on her hands after the newly-adopted pet suddenly gave birth.
The unnamed dog owner has found herself with nine of the banned breed roaming around her house – but has managed to get special certificates of exemption for them all. But this still doesn’t allow her to sell them or give them away, putting her in a financially crippling scenario.
The only option left is to have them put down which would “break her heart”, she said. The mum initially rescued the XL Bully named Brandy before the ban came into place in a bid to give the dog a better life.
However, the family had “no idea” that the dog was carrying pups. The woman, who lives in Canterbury, Kent, said: “When she kept getting fatter despite watching her diet, we took her to a vet, who told us she was pregnant. It was a huge shock and we probably wouldn’t have taken her in had we known.”
Seven weeks ago, Brandy had 10 puppies but only nine survived. The owner stated: “We helped deliver them all ourselves and they are adorable. But now we are at a complete loss about what to do because we could never have them put down.”
The owner of the pups shared that they are growing quickly and becoming more playful and demanding each day. She said: “They are little balls of energy and fun and, like their, mum, just very friendly and loveable.”
She believes that the issue with XL Bullies is not the dogs themselves, but the owners. She added: “We believe the problem around XL Bullies is not the dogs, but their owners they are the ones who should be vetted to see if they are suitably responsible.”
The birth of the puppies has caused quite a stir for the family’s seven year old Labrador, Honey. The owner explained that Honey has gone from being the only pet to one of 10 dogs in the house.
Despite the Bullies’ reputation as dangerous dogs, the owner isn’t worried. She added: “Brandy is even nicer [than Honey] and we trust her completely with our children.”
However, she admitted that the litter is causing financial stress due to the increasing costs of care, including food and vet bills.
“It is a real worry, but I am hoping because of our special circumstances, the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs [Defra], which administers the exemption scheme, will give us some dispensation,” she added.
January 31 was the final opportunity to register an XL Bully for an exemption allowing people to keep their pets. The family had to quickly find almost £900 to pay for the certificates for the mother dog and her puppies.
Now, they’re hoping that fellow dog lovers will assist them with these costs and future expenses through a gofundme page.
The woman shared: “To be honest, it has become a big financial headache for us which we weren’t expecting, so we’d appreciate any support while we figure out what we are going to do with them.” She also added: “But we can’t have them put down because that would break our hearts.”
Defra has stated that the ban on XL Bully dogs is due to safety worries after attacks by dangerous dogs resulted in 23 deaths, with this breed being involved in many cases.
From December 31, new rules mean owners must get an exemption certificate for their XL Bullies or face having to put them down.
Now, all XL Bullies must be on a lead and wear a muzzle in public. Selling, giving away, or letting these dogs loose is against the law.
If you own an XL Bully and haven’t registered it, you’re breaking the law and could get an unlimited fine and a criminal record. Defra advises owners who don’t want to keep their dogs to take them to a vet to be put down.
You can visit the gofundme page here
