A dog lover who rescued an XL Bully from poor conditions is at her "wits' end" after it gave birth to a surprise litter of pups.
The 43-year-old woman, who does not want to be named, rescued Brandy, an XL bully in November 2023.
Seven weeks ago, Brandy gave birth to a litter of 10 pups, of which eight survived but the woman said she had "no idea" she was pregnant.
The litter is presenting a huge financial challenge for the family because of the growing cost of keeping them, including feeding and vet bills.
Now, the woman said she is at her "wits' end" and says she cannot keep them for much longer as she struggles to find a way to save them from being put down.
New laws which came into effect recently means she cannot legally give them away or sell them.
The woman said: "We are really at our wits’ end because we cannot keep them for much longer like this together, as they will develop a pack mentality and just become too much of a handful for us.
“We weren’t expecting to be dealing with this when we took in the mum.
“We’re dog lovers and we just couldn’t bear to get them put down.
“We have just met a brick wall in trying to get any support or advice.
“The Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra) has set up the Dogs Index which they say I must contact but the line is constantly engaged and they have not responded to my emails.”
At the time, the woman said they had "no idea" that the female dog was due to give birth.
But seven weeks ago, Brandy gave birth to a litter of 10 pups, of which eight survived.
The woman said: "When she kept getting fatter despite watching her diet, we took her to a vet, who told us she was pregnant.
“It was a huge shock and we probably wouldn’t have taken her in had we known.
"We helped deliver them all ourselves and they are adorable,” the owner said.
“But now we are at a complete loss about what to do because we could never have them put down.”
The puppies are growing fast and becoming more boisterous and demanding by the day.
“They are little balls of energy and fun and, like their, mum, just very friendly and loveable,” said their owner.
“We believe the problem around XL Bullies is not the dogs, but their owners – they are the ones who should be vetted to see if they are suitably responsible.”
The new legislation around owning XL bullies mean that owners are required to obtain exemption certificates to keep an XL bully, which must be muzzled in public and neutered.
The new rules also prevent anyone from selling the dogs or even giving them away, with severe penalties for offenders.
That is proving a huge headache for the puppies’ owner, who is finding them an increasing handful and cost to accommodate.
An appeal for help resulted in almost £5,000 being raised through a GoFundMe page, which has paid for puppies to be exempted and will help with the ongoing costs of keeping them, including a £100-a-week food bill.
But the owner now also faces hefty bills to have them neutered and micro-chipped, which she is legally required to do, plus further costs for vaccinations.
The woman says she has tried to seek help from authorities in the hope of finding a solution but with little luck.
The owner says she has received dozens of offers to take the pups, including a number from abroad, but even sending them overseas is not a viable option.
She said: “They don’t have any laws against XL bullies in Europe so I thought there wouldn’t be a problem.
“But Defra has just told me that we can only take them out of the country for a maximum of 30 days and then they have to be brought back, which is crazy.”
The 43-year-old woman, who does not want to be named, rescued Brandy, an XL bully in November 2023.
Seven weeks ago, Brandy gave birth to a litter of 10 pups, of which eight survived but the woman said she had "no idea" she was pregnant.
The litter is presenting a huge financial challenge for the family because of the growing cost of keeping them, including feeding and vet bills.
Now, the woman said she is at her "wits' end" and says she cannot keep them for much longer as she struggles to find a way to save them from being put down.
New laws which came into effect recently means she cannot legally give them away or sell them.
The woman said: "We are really at our wits’ end because we cannot keep them for much longer like this together, as they will develop a pack mentality and just become too much of a handful for us.
“We weren’t expecting to be dealing with this when we took in the mum.
“We’re dog lovers and we just couldn’t bear to get them put down.
“We have just met a brick wall in trying to get any support or advice.
“The Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra) has set up the Dogs Index which they say I must contact but the line is constantly engaged and they have not responded to my emails.”
At the time, the woman said they had "no idea" that the female dog was due to give birth.
But seven weeks ago, Brandy gave birth to a litter of 10 pups, of which eight survived.
The woman said: "When she kept getting fatter despite watching her diet, we took her to a vet, who told us she was pregnant.
“It was a huge shock and we probably wouldn’t have taken her in had we known.
"We helped deliver them all ourselves and they are adorable,” the owner said.
“But now we are at a complete loss about what to do because we could never have them put down.”
The puppies are growing fast and becoming more boisterous and demanding by the day.
“They are little balls of energy and fun and, like their, mum, just very friendly and loveable,” said their owner.
“We believe the problem around XL Bullies is not the dogs, but their owners – they are the ones who should be vetted to see if they are suitably responsible.”
The new legislation around owning XL bullies mean that owners are required to obtain exemption certificates to keep an XL bully, which must be muzzled in public and neutered.
The new rules also prevent anyone from selling the dogs or even giving them away, with severe penalties for offenders.
That is proving a huge headache for the puppies’ owner, who is finding them an increasing handful and cost to accommodate.
An appeal for help resulted in almost £5,000 being raised through a GoFundMe page, which has paid for puppies to be exempted and will help with the ongoing costs of keeping them, including a £100-a-week food bill.
But the owner now also faces hefty bills to have them neutered and micro-chipped, which she is legally required to do, plus further costs for vaccinations.
The woman says she has tried to seek help from authorities in the hope of finding a solution but with little luck.
The owner says she has received dozens of offers to take the pups, including a number from abroad, but even sending them overseas is not a viable option.
She said: “They don’t have any laws against XL bullies in Europe so I thought there wouldn’t be a problem.
“But Defra has just told me that we can only take them out of the country for a maximum of 30 days and then they have to be brought back, which is crazy.”
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