Race against time to find young puppy a home
Little Luna loves nothing more than sofa snuggles with her foster carer or playing with one of her many cuddly toys.
She’s a gentle, affectionate soul who’s eager to learn. And, at six-months-old, she should have a bright future ahead of her.
But she potentially has a matter of weeks, if not days, to live – unless she finds the loving home that we know she deserves and will thrive in.
This is because her looks that resemble a type of dog – an American bully XL (or XL bully) – soon to be added to a list of banned dogs in England and Wales under the Dangerous Dogs Act following a series of incidents.
The XL bully is not registered or defined by the Kennel Club here in the UK because it is a mixed breed type, resulting from crossing several large bull breeds.
While the implications of this new law are still very uncertain, we do know that owners of dogs deemed to be of this type will need to apply for their pet to go on a register of exemption.
But the situation is far bleaker for homeless dogs of the XL bully type. It will soon become illegal for pet charities such as Blue Cross to rehome them, even if assessments find they are good-natured and pose no danger. Devastatingly, the only option will be euthanasia.
The government has not yet defined how these dogs will be categorised but, very sadly, Blue Cross believes that Luna’s fate will be sealed by a set of measurements under this law. This is despite her having a wonderful, loving temperament, proven in a series of rigorous behavioural assessments.
However, there is is a glimmer of hope if Luna can be adopted before the law changes.
Ryan Neile, Head of Blue Cross Behaviour Services, says: “We are appealing for dog lovers with experience of large bull breeds and with private, enclosed land to consider giving Luna a shot at life.
“It is no small undertaking; if Luna is eventually typed as an XL bully, there will be lots of red tape and regulations for a new owner to abide by. This will include the need to wear a muzzle and lead whenever she is out in public, for life. But with the right training, which Luna has already started, this can be a happy experience.”
But it’s a race against time. While the law is to be rolled out over the next few months, the part relating to the ban on rehoming XL bully types could be enforced within a matter of days or weeks. And after this point, dog wardens and charities like Blue Cross will be breaking the law unless they euthanise any abandoned dogs of this type.
Becky Thwaites, Head of Public Affairs at Blue Cross, says: “We don’t know exactly what this legislation looks like yet, or how XL bullies will be defined, due to a lack of clarity from the government. But based on the existing law for other banned types, there will likely be an application process for Luna’s potential new owner to go through to get her on the index of exempted dogs.
“We recognise the need to protect the public from harm, but we do not believe this is the most effective way to do this. This law is being rushed through and will unfairly discriminate against many good-natured dogs like Luna, who has proved herself to be a loving pet in foster care and has passed rigorous behaviour testing.
"Many dogs that are seized as illegal breeds under the existing law are in fact well-behaved dogs with responsible owners, who just have the misfortune to have the wrong measurements. We don't believe a dog's safety and temperament can be judged by a measuring tape. Dogs like Luna deserve a chance to be adopted.”
Sociable and gentle Luna can live with cats or other dogs, as well as potentially teenage children with experience of large bull breeds.
If you’d like to find out more about adopting Luna, visit her rehoming profile or email [email protected], where you can also register an interest in helping other dogs like her.
