Owner Margaret Keely said she can’t thank Sharon Collins enough – and blamed “irresponsible owners” for the breed’s reputation.
A Scots dog owner has spoken of her joy and gratitude after a kind-hearted solicitor saved her XL Bully puppy from being put to sleep.
Margaret Keely, from Glasgow, bought seven-month-old Fudge completely unaware of the requirements set last year by the Scottish Government of owning an XL Bully, after it replicated the ban on the breed already implemented in England and Wales.
After missing the vital exemption deadline, Margaret, 53, was left distraught, with the pair forced to “almost live like fugitives”. She turned to solicitor Sharon Collins, who took on the case for free and made legal history by getting the first ever extension to the exemption.
Now Margaret is incredibly grateful for the determination put in to saving her beloved dog. She said: “Without Sharon’s incredible help, Fudge would not be here today. She fought so hard to ensure a legal victory and was even prepared to take her case to the highest court in the land if necessary.
Under the new legislation, owners must register their dog for an exemption certificate, sell, give away, or rehome an XL Bully. They must also make sure they are kept on a lead and muzzled in public, as well as being insured, spayed and microchipped.
The strict rules were enforced after several violent attacks involving XL Bullies. If an owner is caught breaching them, their dog can be seized and put down at any point.
Margaret did not realise that Fudge was too young to be spayed, and missed the exemption deadline in July 2024 by just a few days, meaning any new exemptions would have to be granted by a court order.
After getting nowhere with getting other law firms to take her case, she came to Sharon Collins’ office in Glasgow’s Carlton Place.
Sharon explained: “Margaret arrived at my office distraught because she’d already contacted a few solicitors, and no one would take on the case.
“She was worried sick that Fudge would be seized and destroyed at any point, so we had to try and get an exemption extension for her under the new laws.
“I listened to her story and just felt that I had to help in any way I could. I decided to take on the case for free because she’s a responsible owner and was just trying to keep her puppy alive. I’m a big dog lover myself so I started working on the case – and soon realised it was the first of its type in the country.”
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The penalties for not having an exemption for an XL Bully mean that owners can face a significant fine or even a jail sentence.
Sharon explained: “Basically from August last year until things were fully legally sorted out earlier this month, Margaret and Fudge were having to almost live like fugitives, but because we set the legal wheels in motion, she could say her solicitor was holding the case and that gave Fudge a stay of execution.
“It had reached the stage where we were preparing to take the case to the High Court and very kindly Advocate Jonathan Deans offered to represent us if it reached that stage.
“It was really touch and go but thankfully the extension was eventually granted, giving Margaret time to get Fudge spayed and be fully compliant with the legislation.
“It has made legal history as Fudge is the first dog in Scotland to have this type of extension granted. She is such a happy and loving dog and does not in any way fall into the stereotypes surrounding the breed, so it was lovely to be able to help.”
Margaret has since spoken of her immense gratitude to Sharon for helping save her dog’s life.
She explained that without her intervention Fudge, now 12 months old, would have been put to sleep, with just a £200 compensation payment offered to her under the legislation in place in Scotland.
Margaret added: “I just can’t thank her enough. Nobody else was interested in the case. The breed has a bad reputation but that’s down to irresponsible owners. It seemed so heartless that I could be forced to accept £200 for my pet’s life.
“Fudge is now fully spayed, registered on the exemption list and compliant with all the new laws. I no longer have the stress or worry about her being taken away – and it’s all down to Sharon.”
