BAN CRUEL DEMON DOG BUTCHER
Eight pups with slashed ears found at house of man cashing in on vile trade
A BREEDER had eight designer “devil dogs” seized after investigators were warned that pups’ ears were being chopped off.
The Scottish SPCA believe George Spalding, 33, was preparing to launch himself as a major breeder of American bully dogs, which sell for thousands of pounds and are fashion accessories for Scottish gangsters.
Vets believe ear-cropping, which takes place at 12 to 16 weeks, causes pain.
The Record has told how hundreds of innocent dogs are being mutilated to create so-called “demon ears” on the animals, which are increasingly being bred by crooks with connections to major drugs gangs.
Spalding’s home in Livingston was raided by the Scottish SPCA’s special investigations unit after a tip-off to their animal helpline.
They found eight American bully pups at the home. All had cropped ears and the ears of three recently mutilated pups were still oozing with blood and pus.
A senior Scottish SPCA investigator said: “Spalding is a typical case. We’re seeing huge growth in the mutilation of American bullies in this way.
“We had no option but to seize the pups and we requested that the animals stay in our care after sentencing.
“We also hope that Spalding is banned from breeding animals because here we have a man who thinks it is acceptable to cut a dog’s ears off for fashion reasons.
“We are cracking down on this form of cruelty and we hope members of the public will call our hotline with information about perpetrators.”
When Spalding appeared at Livingston Sheriff Court this month, he admitted causing unnecessary suffering by failing to provide veterinary treatment for the dogs.
He is due to be sentenced at the court on November 15.
Spalding reveals links to major players in the bully breeding world on his Facebook page. He features photos of the “Demon Boy” stud dog owned by cocaine baron William Byrne – Scotland’s biggest American bully breeder, whose pups can sell for £5000 each.
Byrne established a kennels firm in Stirling, called Dynamight, and his Facebook page features many dogs with cropped ears, brazenly referring to them as “demon pups”.
Byrne was jailed for four-and-a-half years in 2010 for running a £7million heroin empire.
He has tried to claim his dogbreeding days were finished but “Demon Boy” has made him a fortune in stud fees after link-ups with breeders in the US and Europe.
The Record’s War on Puppy Farms campaign has revealed how hardcore drug dealers have moved “from drugs to dugs”, as huge rewards are available for zero risk in trading pups.
Some dealers raided by the Scottish SPCA have claimed the ear-cropping was done before they took ownership of the animals in countries such as the US, where the practice is legal, unlike in the UK.
●To report an injured or distressed animal, call the Scottish SPCA’s helpline on 03000 999 999.