A woman has said she was offered a "tiny puppy" believed to be an XL Bully being sold from inside a man's jumper in Croydon.
The incident occurred yesterday (September 11) on Croydon High Street, where two men were allegedly trying to sell a very young dog to passersby.
The puppy, believed to be around three-to-four-weeks-old, was reportedly covered with a black hoodie, crying, quite distressed and shivering.
Kerry McMilne, who was approached by the men offering to sell the dog, told Your Local Guardian: “It’s been on my mind all day.
“I saw a man carrying the puppy, and he came out asking if I wanted to buy it. I asked, "where’s its mum?" I love dogs, and both of mine were rescues.
“I asked why he was selling it, and said it was too young to be sold. It was only about three-or-four-weeks-old at most, crying and clearly too young.
“He had it covered up with the sleeve of his black hoodie. I had to get back to work, so I left, but later I was really angry at myself.
“I thought I should’ve done something, but I was worried. They could’ve had a knife.”
Another woman reported a similar encounter on social media, sating that she offered cash for the dog but was turned down, with the men claiming the puppy had to return to its mum.
The puppy, described as having a light blonde colour with blue eyes, is thought to be an XL bully, a breed that has recently gained attention due to recent bans in the UK.
Under UK law, it is illegal to rehome, sell, buy, or transfer ownership of an XL Bully dog.
Owners of XL Bullies must have a valid Certificate of Exemption, which requires them to neuter their dog, either through castration for males or spaying for females, to maintain the certificate's validity.
The law also prohibits abandoning or allowing XL Bully dogs to stray, and it is a criminal offence to possess or own one without proper certification.
Additional legal restrictions include:
• The sale or transfer of an XL Bully dog is illegal.
• Owners cannot abandon or let their XL Bully stray.
• Breeding from or selling XL Bully puppies is prohibited, especially for puppies born after December 31, 2023.
• XL Bully dogs must always be on a lead and muzzled in public.
We approached the Metropolitan Police for comment and were informed that it was “unlikely there was any arrest”.
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