Protest against XL Bully dog ban to happen in Glasgow

Kerryanne Shaw, chairperson of All Bullie Charity Rescue, has warned that laws banning specific dog breeds are ineffective and could lead to 'killing innocent dogs'.

The 37-year-old said: “Rescue centres everywhere are drowning at the moment but this has caused a massive welfare and ethical issue.

“I’m really stressed and concerned, to be honest."

The non-profit bull breed rescue organisation operates across the UK with foster homes and adoptees nationwide.

Kerryanne said: "We have XL Bullies in Scotland and several in England and if we can't rehome them before the government brings in a ban and amnesty we will likely be forced to euthanize those dogs.

“And these are lovely dogs that haven’t done anything, they’re innocent.

“It’s a massive stress and worry on our shoulders. No rescuer wants to put a healthy dog to sleep.

“But it seems like if a ban comes in we’re going to have to put to sleep several dogs just because of the way they look."

Kerryanne Shaw (Image: Kerryanne Shaw, Gordon Terris)

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said in September he would ban the breed in England before the end of the year after a spate of high-profile attacks.

But the Scottish Government has said it will "consider more voices" before it's able to set a timescale.

The American XL Bully is not a recognized breed but typically refers to a mixed bull breed that can include terrier, American bulldog, and Mastiff, says Kerryanne.

Rather than banning specific dog breeds, Kerryanne claims the government should crack down on dodgy breeders and introduce a licensing system.

XL Bully via All Bullie Charity Rescue (Image: All Bullie Charity Rescue)

She said: "We should be targeting the owners, not the specific dogs.

“Breed-specific legislation as a whole is a band-aid and it’s clearly not working.

"Since it was introduced in 1991 dog attacks have skyrocketed.

“The evidence is there that the approach the government has taken for the last 30 years is not working.

“It seems really nonsensical to me to even be considering banning another breed of dog - XL Bullies aren't even a recognised breed.

“I think we need to bring back licensing for any dog owner. The dog should be registered so people are forced to be responsible with their dogs."

She claimed that "backyard breeders" were often going unchecked.

The council only requires breeders who produce more than three litters of puppies a year to be licensed.

Kerryanne said: “Backyard breeding is a massive topic that really needs to be addressed.

"People are getting two litters without anyone checking that they are properly breeding good standard dogs and selling them to the right homes.

“A lot of these backyard breeders are just selling them to anybody that will pay the money.”

Beginning around 1pm at Glasgow Green on Saturday, October 28, demonstrators will march to Buchanan Galleries in protest of dog breed-specific bans.

Kerryanne said: "Breed-specific legislation is unfit for purpose and to be banning or punishing innocent dogs for human failure is wrong and it’s barbaric.”

In a statement on the SSPCA website in response to the proposed ban, a spokesperson wrote: "For 32 years, the Dangerous Dogs Act has proven ineffective in reducing dog bites and attacks.

"If anything, they’ve got much worse. With more and more pets in Scotland, we believe the focus has to be on tackling bad breeders and putting more responsibility on owners.

"Recent attacks by XL bully dogs have been tragic.

"We don’t support a ban, but that doesn’t mean we don’t recognise the need for urgent action to stop these attacks from happening and protect the public."