DOGS are being illegally farmed and sold for tens of thousands of pounds in Dorset and there is the potential that some are being mutilated in back-alley surgeries to have their ears removed, the Daily Echo can reveal.
Described as “money making machines” with “no regard for animal welfare” people are taking to social media sites like Facebook and Instagram to sell ‘designer dogs’ including ‘bullys’ and ‘American XL Bullys’ for thousands of pounds.
One particular seller on Instagram - purportedly based in Sandbanks - was seen advertising their dogs for sale for upwards of £200,000.
The Daily Echo visited the RSPCA’s Ashley Heath Animal Centre to find out more about the true cost of owning a ‘designer dog’.
WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES
Jess Norris, animal care assistant at the RSPCA, said: "It’s a massive problem in Bournemouth especially.
“People see Instagram influencers with these dogs."
Ear cropping is a painful and illegal procedure in the UK and involves dogs having their outer ears cut off or removed completely.
“In the last year there’s been an explosion of dogs with cropped ears coming into the centre.
“Where it’s illegal in England you have to ask where are they getting it done and who’s doing it?”
Jess fostered ‘American XL Bully’ Dora shortly after she came to the centre at four months old.
Dora’s breeder, Adam Malik, of Alcove Road in Bristol, went to prison for 14 weeks and was banned from owning dogs for 15 years after illegally cropping the ears of nine puppies.
He was sentenced at Bristol Magistrates Court in May 2021 when he was aged 29, after pleading guilty to one offence under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
“Dora came to the centre with her sisters and they all had infected wounds with staples embedded in their ears and it would have been done without pain relief,” said Jess.
“It won’t have been very sanitary and it would have been a really traumatic experience for them and that’s not isolated to her - it’s happening all over the place.
“A lot of the time they use razors or scissors.”
The cruel procedure can add an extra £7,000 on to the price of a pup and has long-lasting effects that go on to impact the dog’s welfare for the rest of its life.
“Other dogs and people can struggle to read them when they’ve had their ears removed, because they use them to communicate,” Jess explained.
“The dogs are more noise sensitive and I have heard as well that they don’t live as long because they can’t sleep properly at night because they are more noise sensitive - there’s a lot.
'People want a big tough looking dog'
“And it’s the way people perceive her, obviously because she’s had her ears removed she’s got a lot more menacing look - which is why they do it because people want a big tough looking dog.
“But people see the ear cropping and they think ‘fighting dog’ and people judge her before they’ve met her.
“We have people cross the road, leave the park, pick up their dogs, everything and she’s a big softy and people don’t give her the chance.”
Hannah Hawkins, dog behaviourist at the RSPCA Ashley Heath Animal Centre, said: “It’s a barbaric thing to do.
“They’re meant to be man's best friend and you wouldn’t mutilate your best friend like that.
“They’re modified for cosmetic purposes to try and reach that aim of almost having a status ‘designer’ type dog.
“If they showed you the puppy while the procedure was being performed then no one would buy these dogs.
“And it’s ultimately a consumer problem with supply and demand.
“We need to change buyers habits and target them because the dogs are just seen as money making machines.”
Dorset Council’s community and public protection team makes an effort to pursue those taking part in this cruel and illegal practice.
'It's all money orientated'
Michelle Jones, team leader for animal welfare and dog control at the council, said: “People decided that they could breed dogs for lots of money.
“There was £1.35million being made in lockdown within the Dorset Council area alone from illegal dog breeding.
“It’s all money orientated and from a council point of view it’s clear to see that people have got on the bandwagon because there’s a lot of money to be made.”
Offering an insight into the national picture the RSPCA told the Daily Echo that they recorded the highest number of complaints relating to the cropping of dogs’ ears in 2021 since records began in 2015.
“We’ve seen a significant year-on-year rise since we started recording these figures in 2015, with a total of 467 reports to our emergency hotline in total," said the RSPCA spokesperson.
“From 2015 to 2021, the number of reports of ear cropping rose an ‘alarming’ 1,243 per cent.
“This may partly be down to increased campaigning and awareness of the issue, but there are fears it could have been driven by celebrity culture and social media.
“Ear cropping is illegal in England and Wales, under Section 5 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
“However, the practice is still legal in other parts of the world, such as the USA and some European countries, and there’s a fear that more and more dogs are being sent abroad for cropping, or being purchased and imported from overseas having undergone the painful procedure.”
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