An Ipswich dog owner fears many XL bully dogs will be euthanised when the government ban comes into force and has hit out at the lack of support for owners.
Gillian Swain, owner of three-year-old bully Missy, is concerned that many cannot afford to meet the new criteria for owning the breed with the approaching change of law on New Year's Eve.
From December 31, it will be illegal to breed, sell, advertise, exchange, gift, rehome, or abandon XL bully dogs, following a number of high-profile attacks.
After this date, the dogs must also be kept on a lead and muzzled in public, and owners must apply for a Certificate of Exemption by the end of January, which also involves neutering and paying a fee.
Ms Swain said: "It is upsetting that there are so many dogs being put forward for rehoming as owners cannot afford to have their dogs neutered, or they live in a council house and cannot keep banned breeds and have to decide whether they lose their home or lose their dog.
"From December 31, it will be illegal for them to be rehomed. This is two weeks away and there are hundreds of bully dogs, and the rehoming process is a long one, with home visits.
"These are dogs who have done absolutely nothing wrong. They are loving companions.
"Missy is one of the gentlest dog breeds I have owned around the home but she is being judged based on the way she looks.
“I keep looking at her thinking that her life could be limited, and I may never get another photo of her running freely."
Ms Swain added that there should be support for owners in cases of confusion over the criteria.
The official government definition of an XL bully dog includes measurements of 20 inches from the ground to the withers for an adult male, and 19 inches for a female.
Missy measures in at around 18.5 inches, which is borderline when applying the criteria.
Ms Swain says she was in "disbelief" that her vets, Ipswich Veterinary Centre in Copdock, would not assist her with measuring her dog to see if she met the criteria, but would organise for her to be euthanised.
Ms Swain said: "Missy is very hard to measure, it's a three-man job and even then you're not sure - if she puts her head forward or up, it changes the measurements. I was looking for guidance from a professional to be told that they couldn't.
"I couldn't believe it. They directed me to the government website which just lays down the criteria, and doesn't give any help if you are borderline, and the consequences - what if a police officer believes she is tall enough when I have measured her differently?
“If she measures more than 19 inches as a female, she cannot go off the lead again. Half an inch over or under can make such a difference to her and to our family.”
A spokesperson for Ipswich Veterinary Centre said: "This is an inaccurate representation of the events that happened."
The list of banned breeds in the UK is drawn up by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
A Defra spokesperson said: “We convened a group including police, local authorities, devolved administrations and animal welfare and veterinary experts to define the physical characteristics of the XL Bully breed type and have published guidance and a picture bank to help owners to determine whether their dog may be in scope of the ban.
“If owners are unsure whether their dog is an XL bully, they should take a precautionary approach and comply with the relevant requirements and restrictions as they come into force.
"If someone has a dog that is clearly another established breed, such as a Rottweiler, the XL bully ban does not apply.”
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