An American XL Bully has reported been “thrown to her death” from a bridge in Sheffield, UK. This incident occurred during a period when XL bully owners were under pressure to register their dogs, give them up for adoption, or euthanize them.
XL Bully appears to have been thrown from Sheffield bridge
The XL Bully, who appeared to have been thrown from a bridge, died on January 22, a short time before being discovered.
As reported by Yorkshire Live, investigators with the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) are looking for the female dog’s owner. The animal welfare charity believes the owner is behind what they’ve termed as “a very callous and sickening act.”
According to RSPCA, the canine had a muzzle on at the time of her death. Moreover, investigators discovered she had a microchip linked to a breeder. However, they didn’t find any registered details of the new owner on the microchip. The RSPCA hopes to locate the owner soon.
Shockingly, the dog’s death comes just a week before the U.K.’s ban on XL Bullies takes full effect.
RSPCA inspector Kristy Ludlam believes the muzzled dog was alive when she was thrown from the bridge. This is because she had blood around her mouth, indicating she immediately sustained injuries from the impact of the fall.
“From the injuries sustained and the location where she was found, it appears that the poor dog was thrown from the fly over and died due to blunt force trauma injuries as she hit the ground,” Ludlam shared.
Ludlam states the dog “was found on a route well used by dog walkers and had not been dead very long.” It was around 11 a.m. when passersby spotted her body.
Currently, the RSPCA is appealing to anyone who may have witnessed the heinous crime or obtained dash cam footage of the incident while driving along the busy flyover to come forward with information.
“This is a very busy road, so I am hoping someone may have seen something or may have dash cam footage which would help the investigation,” Ludlam said.
