Dog lover's 1,000-mile 22 hour mercy dash to save XL bully pets before new law came into force

A dog lover from Oldham spent 22 hours driving for 1,000 miles to save XL bullies before a crackdown on their ownership came into force.

Alex Gregory, 35, from Shaw, picked up two XL bully pups from a home in Urmston which she delivered to a rehoming organisation in Reading before collecting another XL bully called Woody from a home in Peterborough, and then driving it to a new home in Scotland. Scotland is unaffected by the change in legislation across England and Wales.

On January 1, a new law came into force which requires XL bully dogs to be kept on a lead and muzzled in public. Owners must apply for a permit, take out insurance, neuter their dogs and pay a £92.40 fee by the end of the month in order to keep the animals. Breeding, selling or abandoning the dogs has also become illegal, with owners being urged to apply for a certificate of exemption for current pets. From February 1, it will be criminal offence to own an XL bully dog in England and Wales without a certificate.

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Alex's mercy dash around the country ended at 5.30am on New Year's Eve, just before the new law came into force. She set off from her home in Shaw, Oldham, at 8am on December 30, driving in her Vauxhall Insignia to a home in Urmston to pick up two XL Bully pups from a couple which she handed to an animal charity at a motorway services near Reading for 're-homing'.

From there, she drove back north to a family home in Peterborough to pick up a 10-month-old XL bully named Woody. It was 'heart-breaking' for the family to hand over their pet, said Alex.

"They were a young family and they were absolutely heart-broken. They were crying as I was carrying him into