Kildare owners of XL Bullys must register this month

NEW legislation regarding the ownership of XL Bully Dogs comes into effect on 1 February. All XL Bully owners are strongly urged to register their dogs before the deadline or else they risk the animal being euthanised.

This legislation has been delayed to enable owners to keep their pets and allow them to live out their natural life by gaining a certificate of exemption.

In order to gain an exemption, the dog must be microchipped and neutered.

It is now imperative that immediate action be taken by any owner who has not yet microchipped and neutered their dog, and submitted their application.

XL Bully owners in receipt of social welfare can receive help with neutering costs under a new government funded scheme with the KWWSPCA.

Kildare has a high number of XL bullies already registered, owing particularly to KWWSPCA’s own scheme last year, where it used its own funds to help a number of XL bully owners in Kildare get the necessary veterinary work carried out for registration of their pets.

The KWWSPCA has been awarded some funds by the Department of Rural & Community Development, via the ISPCA, to help those on social welfare in Kildare who may be finding it difficult to cover the neutering costs, not including the cost of microchipping.

KWWSPCA Trustee Sally McCaffrey said: “Nine (XL Bully’s) have been registered already, and I’m sure there are quite a few more in the county that we will have no idea of unfortunately."

Sally recognises that pet owners might not be aware of high vet bills that come with the ownership of bigger dogs. 

“Neutering for bigger dogs can be quite expensive, up to €300 in some vets. So it’s a lot of money,” she added.

The veterinary procedure would need to take place in one of the veterinary practices named by the KWWSPCA, so be sure to get in touch with the KWWSPCA for any additional information.

1 February is the deadline to apply for this Certificate of Exemption from your local authority, for which there is no fee. 

After this date it will be illegal to own an unregistered XL bully and any that are unregistered may be seized by a dog warden or garda and subsequently euthanised.

Once in receipt of the certificate, it is important to remember that if you have an XL Bully out in public they have to have a muzzle, be on a short lead, and no one under 18 is allowed to be in charge of them to ensure the safety of people and pets in the area.

Sally sees greedy breeders as the main factor causing the XL Bully problem, rather than the owners.

She said: “Most people that have these dogs abide by the law and they’re very good natured, it’s just there’s a few people who have been making money out of the breeding of them. The cost of the puppies is very high so a good income can be made from irresponsible breeders."

If you are in need of help, call the KWWSPCA helpline for more information as soon as possible on 087 6887136.