THE 43-YEAR-OLD WHO RESCUED XL BULLY BEFORE THE BAN NOW HAS NINE PUPPIES OF THE ILLEGAL BREED

An animal lover who rescued an XL Bully before the ban now has to keep nine of the illegal breed after it gave birth to a surprise litter of puppies.

The 43-year-old mother from Canterbury, Kent, cannot legally sell the XL Bully puppies or even give them away, and she will have to keep them unless she has them put down, which would ‘break her heart’.

Though it was declared on October 31 that owners of XL Bullies were prohibited from having them, the lady saved Brandy in November because they ‘simply wanted to give her a better life’.

She claimed, however, that she was “aware” the dog was expecting at the time.

Eight of the ten puppies that Brandy gave birth to seven weeks ago survived.

The family’s “lovely” seven-year-old Labrador, named Honey, has had quite the upheaval since the arrival of eight new XL Bullies. She was formerly the only pet in the home, but now she lives with ten other dogs.

Now that the breed is outlawed, the woman—who wished to remain anonymous—has succeeded in obtaining special exemption certificates.

Nevertheless, it has caused the woman and her family a great deal of practical and financial difficulties.

She 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.’

The owner said, ‘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.’

She said the pups are growing fast and becoming more boisterous and demanding by the day, adding, ‘They are little balls of energy and fun and, like their mum, just very friendly and loveable.

‘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 owner explained she has no worries about the Bullies being branded dangerous dogs, adding: ‘Brandy is even nicer [than Honey] and we trust her completely with our children.’

But she said the litter is presenting a financial ‘headache’ for the family because of the growing cost of keeping them, including feeding and vet bills.

The owner said: ‘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.’

The deadline for registering an XL Bully for an exception that permits pet owners to keep their animals expired on Wednesday.

Now she has to train these dogs that will become larger and have them safely in her home. However, I feel that the authorities might step in before they’re fully grown.

Some may argue that they should all be put down, but what kind of awful individuals are they who make such a claim? While I acknowledge that they can be dangerous, not all XL bullies have physically harmed others.

The American Bully is a highly adaptable and trainable breed, but human aggression is discouraged in the breed. However, there is a level of aggression that is characteristic of the breed, and they can be very dangerous if improperly raised or bred.

According to a family history study, half of all XL Bully dogs in Britain are thought to be descended from a single inbred animal from the US known as “Killer Kimbo,” and decades of inbreeding have created a shallow gene pool of unstable fighting beasts that are responsible for 70 per cent of dog attacks in Britain.

Dogs should not be interbred. They can end up having behavioural problems, which can lower their IQ, which means they are harder to train, and which can give them spontaneous aggression.

To be honest, she should have had the pregnancy terminated as soon as she found out the dog was pregnant. I’m surprised that the vet didn’t suggest it to her.

However, this woman doesn’t need to be beaten down by others with their nasty comments. People have changed with their nasty comments, and it’s not good, but then some people just wallow in misery. The UK is just a cesspit, and we have to rise above it.

I have no idea what will happen to these puppies. Perhaps some sanctuary can take them where they will be safe, and so will others in the process.

It all comes down to dog inbreeding, not only with these particular dogs but with other dogs as well. People inbreed since it’s more profitable to have a distinctive dog that they can subsequently sell, which is the problem. If inbreeding is completely stopped, this may occur less frequently.