The case brought by animal welfare charities against the seizure and euthanasia of XL bully dogs has been settled, pending amendments to the controversial regulations. The High Court granted an injunction against the regulations, which would have allowed the seizure and euthanasia of XL bully dogs in the care of animal welfare organizations. The court noted the lack of a review mechanism in the regulations for assessing a dog’s breed before euthanization.
The proposed regulations, which were set to come into force on February 1, were put on hold by the High Court due to concerns over the lack of a review mechanism for identifying XL bully dogs. The ban on importing, breeding, rehoming, or reselling XL bully dogs was implemented in October, with a deadline of February 1 for existing XL bully dogs to be rehomed or exported. Owners of XL bully dogs without an exemption certificate could face criminal charges, including seizure and euthanasia of the animal.
The settlement of the case allows for amendments to the regulations and the postponement of final court orders. The lack of a review procedure for misidentified XL bully dogs was a major concern, as a wrong assessment could lead to the unnecessary euthanasia of a dog. The judge emphasized the importance of having a review mechanism in place to prevent the wrongful euthanasia of dogs.
