XL bully dog being cared for in Aberdeenshire will be put down after charity ‘ran out of time’ to rehome

An appeal was made by the SSPCA to find Duchess and Lex new homes, however only one dog found a new owner in time.

By Michelle Henderson

March 8 2024, 6:18 pm

It is not known whether Duchess or Lex has found a forever home. Image: SSPCA.

An XL bully dog being cared for by the Scottish SPCA (SSPCA) in Aberdeenshire will be put down after the charity ‘ran out of time’ to find the animal a suitable new home.

The charity said it had left no stone unturned trying to find new owners for Duchess and Lex ahead of a ban which came into force in Scotland last month making it illegal to rehome the breed.

The dogs were being looked after by staff at the SSPCA’s ‘Animal Rescue and Rehoming Centre’ at Drumoak in Aberdeenshire.

The P&J reported last month that while some XL bullies in Scotland had been rehomed by the SSPCA in time, ‘time had run out’ for others.

At the time, the charity would not confirm the status of Duchess or Lex – however today it confirmed that one dog in Aberdeenshire had found a home before the deadline.

They also confirmed that the animals who had not found new homes will now sadly be euthanised.

When asked whether it was Duchess or Lex who had found a forever home, the charity said it would not be revealing that information.

Not fair to keep XL bully’s caged

In a statement issued by the charity, a spokesperson said that keeping an animal in a kennel environment was not any “quality of life”.

They said: “Under Scottish Government safeguards it is now illegal for the Scottish SPCA to rehome any XL bullies in our care.

“Our teams worked incredibly hard to find homes before the 23 February for any remaining XL bullies that were ready for homing.

“On the 23 February, we had two XL Bully dogs remaining in our care and although we did have applications to rehome these dogs, we were unable to match them with suitable homes before the ban came into force.

Scottish SPCA van. — Scottish SPCA is being forced to put XL bully dogs in their care to sleep. Image: Supplied.

“The Scottish SPCA works hard to rehabilitate animals and place them in permanent and loving homes, as a kennel environment can be an extremely stressful place for a dog to be.

“Keeping any dog in a kennel environment for the rest of their life would not provide an adequate quality of life for that animal, and as a result, unfortunately we can confirm that some dogs will be euthanised.”

XL bully ban leaves animal charity in impossible position

Strict measures were brought into force in Scotland from February 28 surrounding the ownership of XL bully dogs.

The rules resembled measures being rolled out across the border England and Wales.

It is now an offence to:

sell an XL bully dog
give away one
breed or breed from one
abandon an XL bully or let it stray
have one in public without a lead and muzzle

Those who break the law could face a fine of up to £5,000 and/or be imprisoned for up to six months.

Owners will be required to apply for an exemption certificate by July 31 to own an XL bully dog. The cost of an exemption will be £92.40 to register one dog.

Duchess and Lex’s future was put at risk after Scottish minister imposed a ban on the dog breed. Image: SSPCA.

The SSPCA told The P&J that although they don’t agree with the measures implemented by the government, they have to follow the law.

They added: “This is not the outcome we would want for these dogs.

“We continue to believe that the safeguards that the Scottish Government has chosen to implement is not the solution to preventing dog control issues, but as a responsible charity we will always comply with our legal duties.”