Police apologise after family's beloved XL Bully put down due to 'admin error'

The force has said it is 'deeply sorry' after making the 'mistake'

A police force has apologised after it put down a family's XL Bully by 'mistake'. The beloved pet dog named Bruno was wrongly euthanised due to an 'administration error'.

The dog's owners were in the process of applying for an exemption to keep the pet when police seized the dog. Lancashire Police said the dog was then put down before a court hearing took place.

The force said it has since introduced a process 'to ensure the same mistake cannot be made again'. Lancashire Police said: "We are deeply sorry for the understandable distress our error must have caused."

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It added: "In August we seized an XL bully dog from an address in Morecambe as part of our powers under the Dangerous Dogs Act as XL Bully dogs are a banned breed. A file was being prepared for consideration of the owner being prosecuted for the relevant offences.

"However, unfortunately, due to an administration error, the dog was subsequently euthanised before the court hearing." The force added: "We have met the dog’s owner and offered him a full and unreserved apology for what happened.

"We are deeply sorry for the understandable distress our error must have caused. We have reviewed what happened and we have introduced a process to ensure the same mistake cannot be made again."

Lizzi Collinge, MP for Morecambe and Lunesdale, is demanding answers over the cruel mishap, the BBC reports. Ms Collinge - who represents Labour - said the ordeal should have been a 'never event'.

She added: "I was shocked to see that a much-loved pet dog, Bruno, was wrongly euthanised whilst in police care. Processes should have been in place to ensure this never happened.

"There is a legal process when dogs are under police care and it appears this hasn’t been followed." Since February 1, the breed has been banned.

It is now a criminal offence to own an XL bully dog in England and Wales unless the dog has a certificate of exemption, third party insurance, with the dog muzzled and on a lead in a public place.