People told to stay indoors as armed police called to Croxteth Park over stray XL Bully

Armed police were called to Croxteth Hall and Country Park after an XL Bully was abandoned.

Witnesses told our sister site, Mirror Online, a a 4x4 car pulled up, removed the dog from the boot and sped off in front of families. The incident occurred on March 23 and residents branded the ordeal as "horrendous" as parents rushed their children back into cars.

Merseyside Police were called to the scene and residents claimed they were told to stay indoors as officers searched for the stray dog. A statement from police yesterday confirmed nobody was injured and the animal has been destroyed after it was found the following day.

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A spokesman said: “The dog was not showing any signs of aggression and there were no reported injuries. Officers attended with the dog unit but were unable to seize the dog until the following morning when it was located in a nearby residential garden.

“As it was a stray dog, it was handed over to Liverpool City Council’s animal warden team and humanely destroyed. Anyone with information on stray dogs can speak to the council.”

On December 31 last year, the government announced new legislation that requires XL Bully dogs to be muzzled and kept on a lead in a public place. Officials have confirmed there are seven times more XL Bullys in the UK than previously estimated. The Department for the Environment and Rural Affairs originally believed there were around 10,000 but following a breed ban at the end of last year, more than 55,000 were registered for a ban exemption certificate.

It is now illegal to breed, sell, advertise, exchange, gift, rehome, abandon or allow the dogs to stray. A further 15,000 to 20,000 XL Bullys are thought to be unregistered, bringing the total estimate to around 70,000.

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