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KILLER BEASTS
XL Bully ‘timebomb’ warning with dogs on sale for £40 and dumped beasts roaming on streets days before breed is banned
Breeders are rushing to sell the dogs before they're banned in a matter of days
FEROCIOUS XL Bully dogs have hit the market for £40 just days before the breed is banned in a massive crackdown.
Dog breeders are trying to quickly get rid of the beasts before sales become illegal on December 31.
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And, in an attempt to get rid of the hounds ahead of the deadline, online adverts are scattered with the words "now reduced" and "price drop".
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak revealed in September that the dangerous breed would be banned by the end of the year after a spate of horror attacks.
Some of the maulings have proved fatal, including the tragic deaths of dads Ian Price and Jonathan Hogg.
From the final day of 2023 it's not only illegal to sell the dogs, but rehoming and breeding them is also banned.
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Plus, people who already own the hounds will have to keep them muzzled whenever they leave their homes.
Now hundreds of the dogs are for sale online - with some having a price tag of less than £100.
There are mostly listings for XL Bully puppies - but even older dogs are for sale, too.
One ad posted last week was selling a one-year-old hound - for just £50.
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The owner, from Lampeter, Wales wrote: “Beautiful Lagertha is a one-year-old.
"Blue/tri American pocket bully female who is looking for a new, loving pet home - at no fault of her own.”
One litter was listed in Wisbech, Cambs for £500 each.
The seller wrote: "Reduced! Only eight left and ready to leave now - do not miss out."
One breeder in Merton, London, said they had dogs which were “available to leave on the 18th of January”.
But, the post continued: “They must be sold before 31st December.
"Last chance to legally own this amazing breed.”
While some of the hounds are still listed for more than £1,000, dozens of the posts online are less than £500.
They're advertised to come from "top bloodlines" and "American Bully Kennel Club registered".
Breeders encouraged people to be speedy, with one seller in Yardley, West Mids writing: “Only five girls and two boys left.
"Must go, be quick."
From December 31, advertising, gifting and exchanging the and they must be kept in a secure place to prevent escape, the Government says.
Owners have been reminded that they can ask a vet to euthanize their pets and claim £200 compensation.
In recent weeks horror footage of XL Bully dogs has appeared online.
In one case, a terrified dog walker has to fight off an XL Bully-type hell hound as it savaged his French Bulldog.
One bystander was forced to hurl a fire pit at the beast as it clamped its jaws into defenceless Ralph.
In another terrifying case, a man was savaged by an XL Bully-type hell hound at a train station.
He was left screaming for help as the beast latched onto his arm in front horrified onlookers.
In Cornwall, two dogs were found on December 23 with nobody coming forward to collect the XL bullies in a week.
If no one collects the dogs before the rehome ban comes into force on January 1, they will likely be destroyed .
Meanwhile, hundreds of XL bullies are being sent to Scotland where the ban does not apply, the .
Tyler Mabel Rose, 28, from Kirkcaldy, is one of those to have rehomed a XL bully.
She said: "It's the owners, not the dogs. It's exhausting to think the government thinks that dogs are inherently bad, inherently aggressive. They're trained to be aggressive."
One shelter in Rotherham said it has 11 unclaimed XL bully puppies with the impending ban.
Dr Sue Pattinson, President of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, told the BBC swathes of bullies will be abandoned when the ban kicks in.
They could be left on chains outside vet clinics and supermarkets.
Dr Pattinson said: “It’s a worry that we are concerned about.
“It’s something I suspect may happen, which is going to be a real tragedy.
Abandoned bullies will be the responsibility of town hall dog wardens and will most likely be taken to clinics to be euthanised.
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Dr Pattinson added: “Obviously one must exhibit an enormous amount of caution approaching dogs like that.
“If you see a large dog tied up, please be very careful when you approach it.”
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