ALL XL Bully dogs at a Flintshire animal rescue centre have been rehomed as the government ban comes into effect.

North Clwyd Animal Rescue (NCAR) has been "working our socks off" to find forever homes for all the dogs - with the label of banned breed introduced on Sunday (December 31).

XL Bullies which rescue centres across the country haven't been able to find homes for face an uncertain future, as they can no longer be kept there. 

An NCAR spokesperson said: "We are very thankful to announce that all our XL Bullies have found their forever homes, this is thanks to our dedicated staff that have worked so hard to ensure their safety.

"We are thankful for all of you that have shared our posts far and wide and most importantly, all of the wonderful people that have given them a deserving forever home and taken on the responsibility and their needs. We will be forever grateful to you all."

The Leader:

- The beautiful Buttercup has found a home with a lovely couple who adore her.

- Enzo has found the perfect partnership he has been longing for so long.

- Chipmunk found his perfect family.

- Butch found a wonderful home with his perfect match

- All four puppies have found beautiful homes where they will grow up to be well socialised and beautiful examples of the breed.

The Leader:

However, there was a sad ending for one of its dogs. Stich - who came into the rescue after being failed by his previous owner in a "terrible state", has had to be put down. NCAR said he became a regular at the vets and yesterday he had an investigation operation on a very suspicious lump that has dramatically grown in the past few weeks.

NCAR said: "We are so heartbroken to let you all know that it wasn’t good news. Our vet team has been incredible providing him with lots of care since he arrived with us. But due to the severity of his lump and the speed it was growing, alongside his awful skin condition causing him pain and distress, his already ongoing health problems, as a team we made the decision that it wasn’t fair to let him suffer anymore and we said goodbye to the handsome boy who we will never ever forget.

"We tried everything that we could but we had to consider his welfare and his quality of life. Alongside his medical issues, he was also very stressed in kennels so we didn’t feel that it was in his best interest to exempt him and keep him with us for the rest of his life when he was only going to continue to suffer.

"We are so sad that we couldn’t have a happy ending for our boy Stitch but hope he can run free now without the pain and go and dance in the skies above. He passed very peacefully surrounded by all that loved him."

It added: "It’s been a very very tough few months for us and all rescue across the country and we are all emotionally drained and it’s certainly tested our strengths and weaknesses. As a team we have done so well to find all our XL’s a happy ending. We just wish we could have included better news about Stitch, but he is at peace now. Rest in peace sweetie pie.

"We just want to say thank you for everyone’s support and we feel for those rescues that haven’t been so successful but there is hope and hopefully you can find a happy ending for them somehow, hopefully in Scotland.

"Thank you from all the team at NCAR and wish all our XL bullies a long and happy lives in their new homes."