Police in Sheffield seize 22 dogs from illegal XL Bully farm

Rules restricting the ownership of XL bully dogs, like the one pictured, were introduced at the end of last year

A suspected illegal XL Bully breeding farm has been raided by police in Sheffield.

A total of 22 animals were seized from an allotment, including mothers and pups, in what officers described as "appalling conditions".

A South Yorkshire Police spokesperson said six of the animals were so unwell they were put to sleep.

Ch Insp Emma Cheney said: "Animal cruelty and suffering will not be tolerated within South Yorkshire."

Ownership of American Bully XL dogs is restricted under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991.

Since 31 December 2023, it has been against the law to sell, give away, abandon or breed bully XL dogs.

'Suffering state'

Police officers and officials from the council's animal health team discovered the breeding facility at the Infield Lane allotment site, off Greenland Road, on Thursday.

They drafted in specialist help and took away the creatures, which were said by police to be living in "small, inadequate, unhygienic conditions".

Ch Insp Cheney, who is in charge of the force's response to dangerous dogs, said: "We do not know how long some of the dogs have been living in these conditions, with female dogs having litters of puppies, while in their own suffering state.

"Following the XL Bully ban put in place earlier this year, it is now against the law to breed the dogs.

"Separate to the investigation around these dogs being XL Bullys, animal cruelty and suffering will not be tolerated within South Yorkshire and we will continue to work with partners to ensure those responsible are put before the courts."

Police said a suspect had been "identified" and the remaining animals were now being cared for in police kennels.

In April, South Yorkshire Police said it had dealt with 14 incidents involving out-of-control dogs in just one weekend.

These included a two-year-old being attacked by the family pet as well as others left needing surgery, following attacks by their own dogs in their homes.

The force said it had seized more than 300 dogs in the first four months of the year.

Incident Room: XL Bully Ban, What Next?

BBC reporter Jordan Davies asks experts why the ban on the American XL bully dog is controversial and what impact it is likely to have.

Watch now on BBC iPlayer (UK only)