Two men arrested after 'XL Bully' died after deliberate attack

Two men in their 20s have been arrested after an 'XL Bully' was deliberately attacked and subsequently died from its injuries. 

Officers from Thames Valley Police arrested the pair, aged 20 and 22, at an address in Slough on Friday where they also found a quantity of cannabis. 

Police were called after a dog, believed to be an XL Bully, was deliberately attacked and seriously injured in Burnham Lane at around 6pm on September 29. 

The dog was taken for emergency treatment but later died from its injuries, police said. 

The 20-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of criminal damage, causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal, possession with intent to supply a controlled drug of class B and possession of offensive weapon.

The 22-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of criminal damage, causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal and possession with intent to supply a controlled drug of class B.

They were both released on police bail until January next year. 

Anyone with information about the incident has been asked to call Thames Valley Police on 101 or via the website, quoting reference number 43240468625.

Officers also arrested a 31-year-old man from Slough on suspicion of possession with intent to supply a controlled drug of class B on Friday. He was also released on police bail until January next year. 

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'Devastated' XL Bully owner slams police after his dog is mistakenly put down due to 'admin error'

It comes following a rise in the number of abandoned XL Bully dogs as well as reports of intentional harm to the breed since the Government's imposed ban. 

Last month, the heavily decomposed corpse of a decapitated XL Bully was found buried in a shallow grave by a member of the public in Hampton, near Evesham, in southeast Worcestershire. 

The shocking incident was reported to the RSPCA. An inspector for the group, Claire Davey, told the Evesham Journal: 'This is a very distressing incident and we are appealing for the public to help us find the person responsible for this. 

'The dog isn't microchipped so we are relying on anyone who has information to get in touch so we can look into this incident further.' 

The charity revealed that the number of XL bullies that have been abandoned since the government introduced its ban on the breed has increased by nearly 700 per cent. 

And the number of reports of intentional harm done to the breed has more than doubled in the first eight months of this year. 

Dr Samantha Gaines, the RSPCA's dog welfare expert and the charity's lead on breed-specific legislation, said: 'These are very concerning figures. We've seen an increase generally in reports of serious abuse to animals - particularly intentional harm and beatings - but the increase in reports relating specifically to XL Bully types is very alarming and we fear this is a direct result of the recent UK Government ban on this type of dog.

'This could be a result of the extra pressures this ban has placed on desperate owners who may already be struggling to care for their dogs during this cost of living crisis.

'But even worse, these could be deliberate acts of cruelty towards dogs who have become increasingly demonised in recent months.

'We're also heartbroken that many dogs have been and will be put to sleep simply because they are considered to be dangerous because they look a certain way.'

The XL bully is the fifth dog breed to be banned in the UK, following a spate of attacks on people last year.

Other banned breeds include the pit bull terrier, Japanese rosa, fila brasiliero and dogo argentino.