‘Appalled’ XL Bully owner says police returned seized dog ‘underweight’ and with ‘infections’

The allegations have however been disputed by West Midlands Police, whose officers took the dog last month, claiming the dog lost a small amount of weight and was checked by a vet.

Since February 1, it has been a criminal offence to be in possession of an XL Bully in England or Wales without applying for an exemption.

Police arrived at Chloe Roberts' home in Upper Gornal on February 23 to seize her one-year-old pet, Sky.

The 22-year-old said that due to becoming confused about the guidance on the Government website and with her grandmother having recently passed away, she hadn't applied for exemption.

Sky was therefore taken into the care of police, while Miss Roberts was charged on March 8 with owning an XL Bully without exemption.

After she had a voluntary police interview and paid for her dog to be neutered, insured and fitted with a microchip, Sky was returned to Miss Roberts on Wednesday on an Interim Exemption Scheme (IES) order, which means the dog can be kept at home pending a court hearing.

However, Miss Roberts claims she has returned underweight, with an infection and with kennel cough, landing her a vet bill of more than £300.

She said: "I picked her up from the vets and broke down crying just at the state of her.

"The vets said she was underweight and when I saw her I was shocked. She has lost loads of weight, you can see her ribs.

"She is timid and she has never been like that. She wouldn't touch her food, I had to hand-feed it to her.

"When she is sleeping, she is shaking. It is absolutely appalling how she has been treated.

"I am ashamed to walk the streets with my dog now because anyone would look and think I have done that to her – something has got to be done."

Although there has been some controversy surrounding the dog breed, Miss Roberts described Sky as "friendly".

She added: "Her temperament is brilliant, she is happy. Even when the officers seized her they said 'we can tell the family love her'."

She is now waiting to be fined and for the date of her court hearing to be confirmed with the hopes of exempting Sky.

West Midlands Police has however hit back at the allegations, saying that a vet had not diagnosed the dog with kennel cough.

A spokeswoman for the force said: "The dog was seized as the owner failed to comply with the XL Bully legislation so the dog is now a section 1 banned breed.

"The dog was removed to secure kennels on February 23 and examined by a vet on February 26 as is normal practice. The dog was weighed as part of that consultation and she was 30kg.

"She was not displaying any signs of kennel cough whilst at the kennels.

"She was taken to the owner’s vet in order to be [neutered] on March 20 and her weight was 29.6kgs. The owner was allowed to collect her from the vet following surgery.

"The dog was examined before the surgery by the vet who recorded her eyes, ears and nose were clear which would suggest the dog was not suffering with kennel cough when it was taken to the vets.

"The vet has prescribed antibiotics, but noted that coughing may be because she had an ET tube placed down her throat to allow for the sedation and operation. They did not diagnose kennel cough.

"The owner will be charged with possession of a section 1 dangerous dog where the court will determine if the dog can be placed on the exemption list with a contingent destruction order where they will need to register the dog with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and adhere to the conditions set or be humanely destroyed."

From December 31, it became a legal requirement for XL Bully dogs to wear a muzzle and be kept on a lead in public spaces.

It also became illegal to sell, breed, advertise, gift, exchange, abandon or let XL Bully dogs stray.