Lancashire man banned for 10 years over dogs’ ear cropping

A man from Lancashire who allowed others to illegally crop his dogs' ears has been given a 20-week custodial sentence, suspended for two years, and banned from keeping animals for a decade.

Nine dogs and eight puppies were discovered at Quarn Gonzales' home at Colwyn Place in Ingol, Preston, when the property was raided in September 2022.

It followed intelligence gathered by the RSPCA from Gonzales' social media accounts, which showed images of young dogs with cropped ears. Earlier pictures and videos of the animals, which he bred himself, had shown their ears intact. 

Gonzales (date of birth: 22/04/1993) was sentenced at Lancaster Magistrates Court on Friday, 8 August, after he was prosecuted by the animal welfare charity. He had pleaded guilty to eight offences contrary to the Animal Welfare Act at an earlier hearing. 

Magistrates were told that a number of dogs housed in unsuitable conditions were discovered at the property by police, RSPCA officers and vets after a warrant was executed on 16 September.

Seven bull breed type dogs were found to have illegally cropped ears and other dogs were showing signs of injury and illness for which no medical treatment had been sought by the defendant.

Two enclosures, both containing four puppies with urine-soaked bellies and paws. One of the dogs was much smaller than the others and was observed to be lethargic, quiet and struggling to walk. 

Describing one of the pens, RSPCA Deputy Chief Inspector Carl Larsson said: "The pen was an open-topped, black metal cage with a plastic floor. The plastic tray was soiled with faeces and urine, with no bedding, newspaper, or puppy pads to soak up the urine. 

"As a result, the dogs were walking around in their urine, and their coats were wet with urine when picked up. There was no food or water for them."

Two bull breed type dogs with cropped ears were found in further enclosures. One of them had no suitable resting area, and the other was too small for the dog to comfortably lie down and stretch out. 

Three bull breed type dogs, two with cropped ears, were also being housed in an enclosure under the stairs. The area was poorly lit with no natural light. In the rear yard were three more dogs - three bull breed types with cropped ears and a French Bulldog type dog. 

All the animals were removed from the address on veterinary advice, seized as evidence by the police, and taken for urgent examination and treatment by the RSPCA.

One of the vets who gave written evidence in the case said seven of the adult dogs had illegally cropped ears, all of which were healed with mature scar tissue. Another dog had an untreated injury to his right lower front limb, which was at least five days old. Others had bilateral inflammation of the ear canals, skin disease, pressure legions, conjunctivitis, a deformed tail and historic bite wounds. 

The puppy with the stunted growth was found to have marked neurological abnormalities, likely caused by a congenital spinal malformation. With Gonzales' consent, she was sadly put to sleep on welfare grounds by the vet to prevent further suffering.

Intelligence gathered by the RSPCA as part of the investigation looked at images and videos on Gonzales' Facebook and Instagram accounts from early 2020 to June 2022.

One post from 7 April 2020 showed a picture of a young female dog called Medusa with cropped ears. Two months earlier there was a video of a litter of puppies, one of which appeared to be the same dog with her ears intact. A listing on a website called Bully Pedex showed she belonged to Gonzales and had been bred from another dog he owned.

Further evidence showed young bully-type dogs called Huncho and Prada with cropped ears. They had also been bred by Gonzales and were seen in earlier images and footage with their ears intact.  

Other bully breed types with cropped ears, including a female called Yager and her son, Beethoven, were also listed on the same website and traced back to the defendant.   

Gonzales, now of Shelley Road in Preston, will not be able to contest his ten-year disqualification order for five years. He will also have to pay the costs of £2,000.

The court was told he had repeatedly denied ownership of any of the puppies and claimed they belonged to someone else, but had failed to provide a name or any contact information.

Speaking after the case had concluded, Deputy Chief Inspector Larsson said: "I'd like to thank my colleagues who painstakingly gathered many months of intelligence and to Lancashire Police for their support with this long-standing case involving serious animal welfare offences.  

"Ear cropping is a painful and unnecessary procedure in which a dogs' ears are removed or surgically altered. It does not benefit them in any way and can actually be detrimental to their health, behaviour and welfare, but sadly many owners think the look is glamorous or makes their pet look tough.

"Whilst this practice is illegal in the UK, it still happens, and dogs can still be legally imported into this country having had the procedure done overseas. We'd urge anyone looking to buy a dog to remember that this is a barbaric procedure which has hugely negative impacts for the animals themselves."

PC Sean Dalby from Lancashire Constabulary's South Rural Task Force said: ‘We will continue to investigate and target animal cruelty offenders and support the RSPCA with this work throughout the county."

The dogs were taken to a number of RSPCA animal centres, including the charity's Blackpool and North Lancs Branch which looked after three of them - Winnie, Huncho and Prada. 

A confiscation order was also imposed by the court allowing the RSPCA to legally take possession of any other animals still owned by Gonzales.