Man drives 200 miles through night to rehome dozens of XL Bully dogs before ban
As of midnight on 31 December 2023, it is now illegal to breed, sell, advertise, gift and exchange American XL bully dogs in England and Wales.
The new legislation also rules that those who already own these dogs must keep them on a lead and have them muzzled whilst out in public, and cannot be abandoned or left to stray.
The breed will also be banned without an exemption certificate from 1 February 2024 onwards.
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Despite being put into place following a series of both fatal and severe attacks on humans by this breed last year, the new law has been met with backlash from thousands of XL bully owners across the country, as well as numerous dog charities.
And on New Years Eve this year - just hours ahead of the ban being put into place - one canine-lover trekked over 200 miles to rehome numerous XL bully dogs in Scotland.
As reported by LancsLive, Tipton-born Sammy Wilkinson is amongst the many opposers to the legislation, and opted to spend the entire day before the ban trying to rehome the a breed he doesn't view as dangerous.
Departing from his home in the Black Country, West Midlands, Wilkinson travelled by car to the Scottish border, where the new law doesn't apply.
On his way, he collected several groups of XL bully dogs in the hope that they can start a new life north of the border.
"I'm absolutely exhausted and my car is falling apart but you're not killing these Rishi Sunak, now it's a race to the Scottish Border before midnight," he wrote on social media on Saturday night.
Wilkinson managed to carry around 30 dogs across the border, where laws on ownership vary compared to England and Wales.
Since his admirable endeavour, one Blackpool hotelier, Lisa Lou Bel, has set up a GoFundMe page to support the dog-lovers efforts.
Bel has since raised an impressive total of over £9,930 at the time of writing, with her fundraising page reading: "Hi my name is Lisa, I'm putting this fundraiser together for Sammy Wilkinson."
It continued: "In hope that we can raise some money to help Sammy in saving even more XL Bullies.
"Sammy is currently driving day and night from the Black Country to Scotland, each time taking a group of XL bullies with him and finding them new homes in Scotland. About 30 dogs so far he's saved and he’s still going!
"Sammy will continue to do this for as long as he can. Please everyone let’s support him and lets help save more XL Bullies."
A startling total of 23 people have died following dog attacks over the last three years - many of which were associated with XL bully breeds.
The decision was therefore made to enforce harsher restrictions on the ownership of this breed.
From February, owners will now need a certificate of exemption to own one of these breeds, and must apply for insurance.
They must also neuter their dog and pay a fee of £92.40 to receive the certificate.
The government in Scotland has not yet made a decision on whether to instal this legislation, but officials are said to be 'considering the evidence'.
If you'd like to donate to the GoFundMe, click here.
Rhianna Benson