BREED BAN COMES INTO FORCE: TIME RUNS OUT FOR XL BULLIES

Dogs with no owners left in limbo

-  SALLY HIND

THE race to rehome outlawed XL bullies in Scotland ran out of time today as fresh restrictions on the breed came into force.

Rehoming centres and rescuers had been scrambling to find new owners for scores of the animals - many transported north when a full ban was implemented in England earlier this month.

But from today it becomes illegal to sell, exchange, gift or abandon the dogs in Scotland, meaning any that did not find homes are facing being put down or confined to kennels for life.

It will still be legal for owners to keep their pets but they must be muzzled and on a lead in public.