A woman who unknowingly adopted a banned breed had her beloved dog seized by police.

Katie Dunkley, 27, adopted Sage, 12 months old, who was believed to be a Staffordshire bull terrier cross from Hope Rescue in Pontyclun, Wales, on September 10, 2024.

She spent seven months training Sage - bringing her back to full health - and even planned for her pet to become a therapy dog and blood donor.

But, on March 19, Katie got home from work and saw police officers driving down her street - jokingly telling her neighbour "I bet they are for me"."

Officers then turned up at her house with a search warrant after they received an anonymous tip off that Sage was a banned Pitbull breed.

Sage was taken away to police kennels, where she spent a week, and police established the dog was an American Staffordshire Terrier - a banned breed in the UK.



Katie was reunited with Sage on March 27 and said she is "left in limbo" while waiting for a court date to decide Sage's future."

Katie, a dog trainer, from Barry, Wales, said: "We are very much in limbo right now, I don't know what is happening or when it is happening."

"Sage currently has to live at home under certain conditions - she has to be muzzled and kept on a lead whenever we leave the house."

"It is upsetting because you do see a lot of uncontrol dogs in other breeds - it is a certain set of measurements that makes her dangerous."

"She was going to give blood and start training to become a therapy dog, it is so sad that a breed that can do so much good is banned."

After adopting Sage from Hope Rescue in September 2024, Katie said she settled in with her other dogs - Duke, a

Staffordshire bull terrier and Bullmastiff mix, XL Bully, Olive, and Poppy, a Border Collie mix.

She said: "I took Sage on and raiser her as normal, she is one of four and she instantly settled in."

"I have had her for approaching seven months now, and I have got a soft spot for the bully breed."

"I had two others at home, so it made sense to extend the family."

On March 19, 2025, Katie arrived home when she noticed that police were driving up her street.

She briefly joked they were coming for her, but she never expected that to be a reality.

Katie said: "I noticed that the police were coming up my street, and I joked to my neighbour that they were coming for me."

"When they had arrived, they said they had a warrant after someone anonymously reported that there was a Pitbull living at the property."

"It was stressful when I brought Sage out. The police commented on how well-behaved she was and said they didn't want to do this."

"They gave her a lot of attention."

Sage was taken to police kennels - where they did a test to determine her breed.

The test showed Sage is an American Staffordshire Terrier - a banned breed in the UK.

But despite this, she was released after a week - and has to wear a muzzle and lead at all times when out the house - while her future remains unclear.

Katie said: "It was a stressful week, I contacted everyone I could to get an update on what was going on."

"My older dog has cancer - he has already outlived his diagnosis time frame - and we were worried we would lose him while she was gone."

"Sage was very excited to be back with us. "

"She looked very stressed and her face was bleeding because of the muzzle on her."

Katie is currently waiting for Sage's case to go to court - to determine Sage's future and if she is a banned breed - but has given no timeframe.

While Sage is living at home, Katie has been told she will have to be muzzled and be on a lead whenever she leaves the house.

Katie said: "I haven't been told what the outcome could look like for us. I don't think she is a risk."

"I believe she is safe, but she will likely be deemed to be a banned breed and need to be muzzled and kept on a lead forever."

A spokesperson from South Wales Police said: "Following information being received from concerned members of the public that an unexempt Pitbull was at the address a warrant was executed on Wednesday March 19."

"The dog was transported to a secure kennel facility and examined by a dog legislation expert who is trained to identify banned breed dogs."

"The dog was found to be a banned Pitbull breed, the investigation is ongoing, and the owner has been kept updated."

"Any confirmed banned breed dogs need to abide by certain conditions, which include being walked on a lead and muzzled when in public."

A Hope Rescue spokesperson said: "We don't believe that banning specific breeds is the answer to reducing the rising numbers of dog related incidents."



"As a member of the Dog Control Coalition, we have instead campaigned for evidence based, preventative solutions that better protect the public and safeguard animal welfare, for example improving breeding legislation and increased resources for promoting responsible ownership and enforcement."



"Whether or not a dog is considered to be banned largely depends on their characteristics and how closely they match the breed type standards prescribed by DEFRA. "

"Only the police are trained to determine if a dog meets the standards. "

"Sage came into Hope Rescue as an underweight, five-month old puppy who looked very much like a bull lurcher, so it was not possible to determine if she was likely to grow into a dog that could meet the criteria to be assessed as a banned breed once she reached adulthood."

"Her owner is a responsible, caring owner and we have offered any support she needs to bring Sage home, including covering any related costs with the exemption process."