The horrific death of an XL bully that was set on fire just hours before a ban on the dog breed came into force is being investigated.
Harrowing photos show how the dog suffered extensive burns to his front paws and a fractured skull before his body was discovered in an alleyway on Saturday (December 30). The dog was also found with his legs tied together and, disturbingly, one of his ears had also been sliced off.
A member of the public found the dead male animal in Carshalton, south London, and then reported it to the RSCPA.
READ MORE: Man drives 200 miles to save XL bully dogs before ban
READ MORE:
The dog was initially said to have escaped from a garden after a fence came down during the weekend's storms. But RSPCA Inspector Harriet Daliday said she couldn’t confirm if the animal had died after hitting a vehicle or was despatched in a targeted killing.
She said: “At this stage, we don’t know for certain if the dog had sustained the head injury after being hit by a car, or whether this was done deliberately. It is deeply concerning that the dog was found with his legs tied together and had been set on fire.
"The dog also had one of his ears cut off. We are appealing for anyone who has any information about this incident to contact us in complete confidence."
The death comes as a new law was passed in England and Wales yesterday (December 31) banning the XL bully breed under the Dangerous Dogs Act. The legislation makes breeding, selling, advertising, exchanging, gifting, rehoming, abandoning or allowing XL bully dogs to stray illegal.
From January 31, it will be an offence to own an XL bully unless it is registered on the Index of Exempted dogs and is compliant with the requirements. Dogs that are more than one year old after this date must be neutered by June 30 while younger dogs must receive the same treatment by December 31.
Receive newsletters with the latest news, sport and what's on updates from the Liverpool ECHO by signing up here
Enter our £2,000 Wickes voucher giveaway and step into 2024 with style