An XL Bully dog has been found dead after its legs were bound together and set alight hours before Rishi Sunak’s ban was enforced.
The RSPCA found the mut in a London alleyway on December 30.
A member of the public found the XL Bully in Carshalton and reported it to the RSPCA.
Images of the dog showed horrific burns to his front paws, a fractured skull and a sliced ear.
A stock image of an XL Bully
PA
The discovery came just hours before a new law was passed in England and Wales to include the XL Bully breed under the Dangerous Dogs Act.
It is now illegal to breed, sell, advertise, exchange, gift, rehome or abandon XL Bully dogs.
It is also an offence to own an XL Bully unless it is registered on the Index of Exempted dogs and is compliant with the requirements.
However, some XL Bully sellers were defying the ban by listing pups on online websites.
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Protesters hold a banner which states 'Don't bully my bully' during the demonstration in Whitehall
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An XL Bully lover drove more than 200 miles on New Year’s Eve to rehome the 30 pooches from the banned breed in Scotland.
The RSPCA is appealing for witnesses to investigate the incident, with Inspector Harriet Daliday unable to confirm if the dog died after hitting a vehicle or being the victim of 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.”
An XL Bully (File Pic)WikiCommonsInitial enquiries indicate the dog escaped from a garden after high wind blew down a fence during the weekend’s storms.
Rishi Sunak introduced the new legislation following a spate of vicious attacks across the country.
The Prime Minister said XL Bully dogs were a “danger to our communities” and said he “shared the nation’s horror” at the savage maulings by the breed.
XL Bully dogs aged one or over after the legislative change must be neutered by June 30.
Younger dogs must receive the same treatment by December 31.