An Essex council has confirmed that any stray dogs in the district identified as belonging to the American XL Bully breed who are not claimed by an owner within seven days will be euthanised in order to comply with updated national legislation.

At a cabinet meeting on March 4, members of Braintree District Council approved the recommendation to adopt the updated policy in line with government guidance.

The council currently holds a contract with RSPCA Danaher Animal Home in Wethersfield, which assists with the kennelling of suspected stray dogs in the district.

The home will house strays in kennels for up to seven days, after which if they have not been claimed by their owner they are automatically gifted to Danaher for rehoming.

However, as of December 31 last year, XL Bully dogs have been added to the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991. This deems it a criminal offence to breed, sell or give away XL Bullies in the UK, and as of February 1 this year, it is illegal to own a dog of the same breed without holding a valid exemption certificate.

Due to Danaher being unable to rehome XL Bully dogs under the new legislation, they informed the council that they will not be able to keep any strays of the breed left unclaimed by owners after their initial seven-day kennelling period, meaning it will be necessary to euthanise dogs categorised in this way.

The report presented to councillors states: “Under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, any dog seized in accordance with this Act that has been detained for seven clear days after the seizure and has not been claimed by the owner, may be disposed of either through selling or giving it away, giving it to an establishment for stray dogs or by destroying it.

“Due to the provisions of the legislation, the first two elements are not available options for the management of this breed.”

It continues: “There are many that disagree with the legislation for a wide range of reasons, however, charity groups, kennels and dog handlers have confirmed that they will comply.”

LDRS contacted Danaher Animal Home for more information but was advised to make an enquiry to the council. At present, Braintree District Council does not hold data on how many XL Bully dogs are within its district, with it currently unclear as to how many dogs of this breed the council is likely to receive through its stray dog service.