RSPCA shelters in danger of becoming overcrowded after XL Bully ban sees many dumped and abandoned

The RSPCA has said there are anecdotal reports of dogs being surrendered or abandoned across the rescue sector, with fears that as the deadline for the XL bully dog ban looms, the problem will get worse.

Since the ban has been implemented there have been many heartbreaking reports dominating the headlines including a dog, thought to be an XL Bully, found dead in a South London alleyway in suspicious circumstances after his front legs were bound together and he had been set alight.

Rumours of distressed dogs being left to rot alone at a home in Chorley have also been circulating on social media, with one woman claiming that an American Bulldog and a Staffordshire Bull Terrier had been abandoned by their owner with no food or water and were living in squalor.

Worshippers were shocked to find a petrified Staffordshire Bull Terrier cross left tied to Sacred Heart Church on Talbot Road in Blackpool, along with a heartbreaking handwritten note from the former owner which read: ‘I love you and I’m so so so sorry’.

Thankfully, both have now been placed in the care of the RSPCA.

Dr Samantha Gaines – a dog welfare expert at the RSPCA, told Express.co.uk the animal charity's XL Bully ban advice website has been inundated by visitors.

She said: "The ban on XL bullies not only remains devastating for so many dogs, but is also taking a heavy toll on owners, on rescue centre staff who have grown close to dogs in their care, and to veterinary teams who face the prospect of being asked to put to sleep healthy dogs whose behaviour poses no risk.READ MORE: RSPCA Preston: These are the animals looking for a new start in the New Year including a cat named Claus

The decision to ban XL Bully dogs was made following a concerning rise in attacks from these dangerous dogs, with 23 people sadly losing their lives after vicious dog attacks in the last three years. XL Bullies have been involved in many of these tragic deaths.

On October 31 XL Bully dogs were added to the Dangerous Dogs Act, with owners given two months to prepare for the first stage of the ban.

New restrictions on the XL Bully dogs which came into force on New Year’s Eve makes it a legal requirement for all XL Bully dogs to be kept on a lead and muzzled when in public. It is also illegal to breed, sell, advertise, gift, exchange, abandon or let XL Bully dogs stray.

In a stance with their dogs, many owners have also ventered out wearing muzzles, claiming it is bad owners and not bad dogs.

Owners are also being urged to apply to register their current XL Bully dogs, as the Government takes action to safely manage the existing population of the breed before the deadline when the ban comes into force on 1 February.

Owning an unregistered dog after this date will be a criminal offence, with owners who don’t facing a criminal record and an unlimited fine.