XL bully rescuer posted about dog’s ‘incredible strength’ before it was shot dead

An XL Bully rescuer posted online about the “incredible strength” of a dog that he helped to rehome in Scotland before it attacked another animal and was shot dead by police.

Sammy Wilkinson, from Tipton in the West Midlands, drove hundreds of miles to rehome XL bullies north of the border amid a ban in England and Wales that came into force at the start of the month. The Scottish government announced last month that it is bringing in its own ban at the end of this week.

But one of the dogs that Mr Wilkinson brought north – a three-year-old XL Bully called Kilo – was shot dead by police in East Kilbride on Sunday after it attacked a Border Collie and injured three people. They are believed to have been hurt in the course of attempting to separate the dogs.

In a Facebook message posted on 22 January when he was trying to find a new home for the animal, Mr Wilkinson said that Kilo was “incredibly strong” and was “probably the strongest XL Bully I’ve worked with”.

“He is three years old yet is still a big puppy. He is toilet and crate trained but realistically this boy needs a home with a lot of land and energy to keep him from falling into boredom and destructive behaviours,” he wrote.

“He is a jumper and will knock you off your feet if you’re not careful. Kilo has grown up with children but is not advised due to his incredible strength.”

Mr Wilkinson added: “He is young, strong and filled with testosterone … I had to separate him and another male XL from fighting.”

His lawyer told i that he had not broken any rules by re-homing the XL Bully with an 18-year-old woman in East Kilbride before the ban on these dogs starts in Scotland.

The solicitor is also planning to lodge a complaint against the police – claiming the animal had been brought under control before it was killed.

Police Scotland described the dog shot dead by officers as “dangerously out of control”, and said an 18-year-old woman had been reported to prosecutors in connection with offences relating to the Dangerous Dog Act.

Scotland’s First Minister and SNP leader Humza Yousaf announced that a ban echoing the restrictions imposed in England and Wales at the end of last year would begin on 23 February, this Friday.

Charities and campaigners warned that some of the estimated 100 to 200 XL Bullies brought to Scotland during a “loophole” period could pose a risk to the public. The ban on rehoming in England and Wales, did not stipulate whether someone could move their dog to Scotland or Northern Ireland, which has created a grey area.

Doug Smith, campaigner at Bully Watch, said police should examine whether all rules were followed if any dogs were brought to Scotland after the 31 December ban on the transfer of dogs was imposed in England.

“Police need to investigate what we call cowboy re-homers,” he said. “We have had individuals with no experience re-homing dogs in unsuitable households [in Scotland]. It has to stop. Because people are still getting hurt, and we fear more people could get hurt.”

A volunteer at a Scottish rescue centre involved in taking in XL Bullies said the “heart-breaking” incident in East Kilbride may not be the last attack.

“It looks like dogs have put into the wrong placements,” they told i. “If some of the new owners don’t have the experience or capability to manage the dogs, I worry problems will keep happening. We could see more of the XL Bullies get into altercations with other dogs.”

i has previously reported on how some unwanted XL Bullies moved over the border have since been abandoned, left tied to a lampposts and park benches at Scotland’s parks, or “dumped” with charities and local councils.

Mike Flynn, chief superintendent at the Scottish SPCA, said it would have been “traumatic” for XL Bully dogs to have been moved from home to home. “There was no need to bring dogs to Scotland.”

From 31 December it has been illegal to transfer XL Bullies in England and Wales, while certificates of exemption to stop them being destroyed have been required since 1 February.

In his most recent post on Facebook, Mr Wilkinson said “my heart [is] breaking over what they did to Kilo” – claiming Police Scotland officers had already caught the XL Bully on a catchpole before shooting the dog.

His lawyer John McGeechan said: “We will be arguing that the reaction [by officers] was completely disproportionate. The dog was under control and need not have been shot.”

The solicitor added: “Nothing illegal was done by moving the dog”, adding: “The English rules don’t apply in Scotland yet.”

Mr McGeechan said: “The dog was already exempted in England, and got the certificate of exemption, before he moved it. It was temporarily being fostered in Scotland, because it was expected to go to a charity so someone could adopt the dog permanently. The English rules don’t apply in Scotland yet.”

Last month Mr Wilkinson said he had re-homed around 30 bullies across Britain – many of them in Scotland – as the ban on unexempted dogs came into force in England and Wales. He told the Daily Record: “All home checks are completed in Scotland and all animals are vetted – it’s all carefully considered.”