Kent animal shelters see increase in XL bully rescues

Dog shelter volunteer Jo Wood has seen an increase in requests to rescue XL bullies

An animal shelter in north Kent has received an increased number of requests to rescue XL bullies.

Jo Wood, a volunteer at Large Breed Dog Rescue, said the charity now received about 10-15 requests per week.

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced a ban on the breed following a recent string of attacks.

Dog behaviourist Pippa Apps has called for better regulation of the dog breeding industry.

Ms Apps said: "[They're] bred for their aggression then we have that compounding factor of being in the wrong hands, people wanting a dog because they are aggressive."

Ms Wood, a volunteer at the shelter for 10 years, said the numbers of requests has increased since Christmas.

"We're a tiny rescue so we've got five kennels and a number of fosters around the country so the big rescues must be inundated," she said.

'Difficult to control'

Denise Dawes, trustee of the Last Chance Animal Rescue in Edenbridge, said they too have received more requests to rescue XL bullies since news of the ban.

"Obviously, not all XL bullies are bad dogs. It can be they have bad owners, but this is not always the case and due to their size and strength they can be very difficult to control."

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