XL Bully: Death of dog believed thrown from bridge a 'tragic accident' - RSPCA says

Warning: Story includes graphic content and images that some readers might find disturbing.

The death of a young XL bully has been ruled a "tragic accident" by investigators, who have urged the public to stop harassing her grieving owner on social media.

Last week, the RSPCA launched an investigation after the body of a muzzled XL Bully was found under a busy Sheffield flyover. The dog, a black and white female, was found by a dog walker in an area known as The Washlands - which part of the A57 flyover runs across - on Monday (22 January). RSPCA inspectors investigating said at the time that they believed the dog was alive and was likely thrown from the bridge - as she was found with blood around her mouth which may have been from the impact of the fall.

However on Wednesday (31 January), the charity said it now believed the pup's death was accidental. A spokesperson said: “Following our appeal for information about a muzzled XL Bully found dead in an area known as The Washlands in Sheffield, we have now traced and spoken to the dog’s owner.  

“The owner told us that their young dog was nervous and had broken her lead while on a walk and ran off. The owner told us they immediately made attempts to trace the pet by putting an appeal out on social media asking for help," they continued.

The owner’s details had since been shared by members of the public on social media, which they said had resulted in them experiencing significant abuse. "We are appealing for people to trust that we have properly looked into the circumstances surrounding this poor dog’s death and, based on the evidence available, this appears to be a tragic accident." 

“The RSPCA will always investigate suspicious animal welfare concerns and cruelty and would like to thank the public for their help in this matter and their continued support," the charity added.

This was not the only suspicious XL bully death the RSPCA had been investigating in recent weeks. The charity is also looking into the death of an XL bully-type puppy found dead in a cage in Southeast London, which had suffered a severe head injury.

XL bully dogs will be fully banned from tomorrow (1 February). This comes after the breed was linked to a number of serious dog attacks - including some fatal ones. On 31 December, the first stage of the government's XL bully ban came into force, with all XL Bully-type dogs currently required to wear a muzzle and lead when out in public.

They can no longer be bred, sold, adopted out, given away or rehomed at all. Eventually, they will also have to be microchipped, spayed or neutered, and insured in case they cause injury.

The RSPCA said that since then, animal charities have seen numerous cases of dogs being given up or abandoned across the rescue sector. This comes at a time when abandonment calls to the charity are already at a three-year high.