Woman spent £50,000 on three-year legal battle to free her seized XL bully

28 November 2023 , 07:52

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Sandra Rowlands fought for years to free dog Buster after he was suspected of being a banned pitbull breed (Image: Mirrorpix)

A dog owner who waged a three-year £50,000 battle to release her seized XL Bully has said she'd do it all over again.

Sandra Rowlands' dog Buster was seized back in 1994 three years after the Dangerous Dogs Act came into force. At the time, Sandra had no clue that Buster might be a banned pitbull type and says she "laughed" at first when police asked her to send pictures of him.

But her laughter turned to heartbreak six weeks later when she received the news Buster would be taken from her and destroyed, with the recent law forbidding people from owning dogs from types bred for fighting. The mum-of-four has now spoken out about her fight back in the 1990s following Rishi Sunak's announcement that XL Bullies would be banned from the new year, urging other owners to fight for their pets.

Sandra with her daughter and Buster, who was released after a £50,000 legal battle (Mirrorpix)

Sandra, from Kirkdale, Liverpool, said Buster was "left on a little square of concrete for three years" after being taken to a pound in Birkenhead. "He mutilated his own tail, he was riddled with fleas and he had sores all over him," she told the Liverpool ECHO.

"He was only 11 months old when he was taken off me. He was only a baby. He was given a life sentence just because a police officer said he looked like a pit bull." Magistrates ruled Buster was indeed a banned pitbull, ordering he be put down. Sandra then appealed the result at Liverpool crown court, which was thrown out with Buster arranged to be put to sleep later that day.

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But the death sentence was delayed and six months on, the Act was amended to spare banned breeds from being destroyed if they passed a court behavioural assessment and it could be proved they were peaceful animals. After three years of struggles, and a £50,000 legal bill, Sandra was finally allowed to take Buster home.

She said: "I don't want anyone to go through what I had to go through with my dog. It's wrong. Buster never bit or hurt anyone. When he was taken off me he was just a baby. He did three years in the kennels. At first I was allowed to go in and feed Buster, but then owners started going in and robbing their dogs back, and I wasn't allowed to go in any more.

Buster was lucky to avoid being put to sleep (Mirrorpix)

"Two and a half years later, I was allowed to go into the kennel. I was a bit scared going in, because it had been so long and I hadn't had proper contact with him. But I knelt down, and he just came up to me and put his head on my lap."

Now a free dog, Buster had to be microchipped, neutered and insured, and was required to wear a lead and muzzle at all times in public places. But Sandra said this was a small price to pay to have her pet back - and that she "would do it all again" if she had to.

Sandra has now urged other XL Bully owners facing similar legal troubles to start by reading up on the law and finding out their rights, as well as making sure their dogs are fully registered and properly restrained. She added: "I think it's terrible the way people are dumping XL bullies, because they're going to be put to sleep anyway. I see posts from shelters about people dumping them because they can't get rid of them, and I think it's so sad."

Sandra was reunited with her dog after three years (Mirrorpix)

"I just think people need help. I got a lot support with Buster, and there are kind people out there who are animal lovers who will help. I'm worried about people getting their dogs took off them, but dumping the dogs isn't the answer because they will be put to sleep. If you're a real, true dog lover, you'd do everything to keep your dog.

"Before (the Dangerous Dogs Act was amended in 1997), innocent dogs were being put to sleep, and I don't want this to happen to XL bullies. It's wrong. I know there are people walking around with these dogs thinking they're hard and gangsters, and it's people like that who ruin it for everyone. People who are good responsible dog owners, who haven't got a lot of money, are the people who are going to suffer.

"Follow the rules, keep them muzzled, because then you have the chance to keep your pet. I knew nothing about the Dangerous Dog Act and if I did, I would never have bought a pit bull type. But Buster did nothing wrong. It was terrible and heartbreaking; I kept coming up against brick walls over and over.

"My father was saying just let them put it to sleep, but I said no. If the dog was vicious, that would have been a different matter. It was the hardest three years of my life, but I'd do it all over again."

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The ban on XL Bullies comes after months of The Mirror's Time For Action on Danger Dogs campaign, calling for reviews of the Act. It follows a number of brutal dog attacks on Brits - including children who have died from their injuries - many of which have involved the breed.

Wesley Holmes