XL Bully owners claim £200 from Scottish Government to euthanise dogs following law change

XL Bully owners can claim the cash if they decide to have their pets put to sleep.

More than a dozen owners of XL Bully dogs have claimed £200 in compensation from the Scottish Government after having their pets euthanised following a law change.

SNP ministers were forced to introduce restrictions against the breed following a spate of violent attacks in recent years.

XL Bully owners now risk a fine for failing to muzzle the animals and keep them on a lead in public. The selling or exchange of the breed was also banned.

A compensation scheme was introduced for owners who choose to have their dog euthanised. Figures seen by the Record show that 19 people have so far been awarded £200.

The clamp-down was introduced following concerns over an influx of XL Bullies to Scotland since the UK Government first brought in controls on the dogs south of the border last year.

Then First Minister Humza Yousaf initially said that similar rules were not required in Scotland - before later announcing SNP ministers would largely replicate the restrictions.

The law change was opposed by some animal welfare organisations. The Scottish SPCA had warned it would cause "heartbreak from vets, rescue centres and their staff, who may face having to put to sleep healthy dogs, simply because of the way they look".

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They added: "We recognise that the Scottish Government feel that they have had little choice in implementing these safeguards, but we are concerned that these regulations are being rushed through.

"We fully support legislation to protect the public, and we are deeply concerned about the rise in dog control related incidents, but the Scottish SPCA has long opposed restrictions that focus specifically on certain types of dogs.

"We know that any breed of dog can be potentially out of control and dangerous in the wrong hands. We need action and solutions that protect the public as well as safeguarding animal welfare, but banning dogs because of the way they look isn’t the answer."

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