XL bully-style dog ‘rehomed from England’ shot dead after mauling two men in Scotland

An XL bully-style dog shot dead in Scotland after mauling two men and attacking a police officer was rehomed from England, it has been reported.

Firearms officers were called to the scene in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, at around 5pm on Tuesday night after the dog was described as being dangerously out of control.

Paramedics from the Scottish Ambulance Service found a man seriously injured. He was taken to Glasgow’s Queen Elizabeth University Hospital for treatment.

Shortly before the attack, another man had been injured by the dog in a neighbouring street. He was taken to Hairmyres Hospital with minor injuries.

Armed police killed the “large bulldog-type dog” after it tried to attack an officer. Police Scotland said attempts will be made to establish the breed.

The dog is understood to have been rescued from England two weeks ago, according to the Daily Record.

It comes after Westminster introduced a law banning the XL bully breed after a spate of attacks, some fatal.

A local shopkeeper told the tabloid it had not “been treated well in the past as he was covered in scars”.

Although the breed had yet to be confirmed, the attack happened after SNP ministers’ initial refusal to follow Rishi Sunak’s crackdown on XL bully dogs led to an influx of the breed from England.

The circumstances around the shooting will be referred to the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner.

Supt Steven Espie said: “This was a distressing incident for those involved. I would like to reassure the local community that this was a contained incident and there is no further risk to the public.

“There will be a continued police presence in the area while our inquiries continue. Inquiries are also ongoing to establish the breed of the dog.”

Humza Yousaf’s government repeatedly refused to join the XL bully ban south of the border despite Michael Gove warning them “it is vital we agree a shared solution which minimises the risk of creating a potential ‘dumping ground’ for dangerous dogs that are moved from England and Wales to Scotland”.

There are more than 30,000 XL Bully dogs in Britain, government figures show, which is three times more than officials had expected before banning the breed.

Owners of an XL Bully need to either put down their animal or register it on the Index of Exempt Dogs ahead of the ban coming into force at the end of the month.

It was previously estimated by Defra officials that there were only around 10,000 of the breed but the Government has seen more than three times that amount registered already.

It will be a criminal offence to own an XL Bully if it does not have the certificate of exemption by February 1.

But they performed a “humiliating” about-turn earlier this month, with Mr Yousaf stating that Scotland would “replicate the legislation that is in England and Wales here”.

Siobhian Brown, the Community Safety Minister, said the breeding, selling and abandonment of the animals will be outlawed

Dogs must be kept muzzled and on a lead while in public, but owners will be able to apply for an exemption certificate. However, she did not say when this would come into force.

Jamie Greene, a Scottish Tory MSP, said: “This horrific case fully exposes the recklessness of the SNP’s failure to immediately follow a UK-wide ban on XL bullies.

“SNP ministers were warned of the potential consequences of any delay, and despite being forced into a humiliating U-turn that has sadly come too late for the victims of this brutal attack and led to the shooting of a dog.”

A Police Scotland spokesman said: “The body of the dog which was shot dead by armed officers during an incident at Tinto View in Hamilton on Tuesday Jan 23 was taken for specialist veterinary assessment.

“The animal is described as a large bulldog type dog but it was not possible to establish its specific breed or history from this assessment.”

“Enquiries remain ongoing into the circumstances of the incident.”

The Scottish Government was approached for comment.

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