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This program me contains some scenes
which some viewers may find upsetting
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Tonight - inside the world
of extreme dog breeders.
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Well, they do, but...
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So, why breed them this way, then?
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Bulldogs of all shapes and sizes
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are loved by celebrities
and the public alike.
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Now unscrupulous dealers
are cashing in.
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This is a business
that's purely driven by profit,
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not taking into account
the welfare of the clogs.
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We go undercover
to expose animal cruelty...
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Who thinks, "I know -
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"let's breed a dog whose legs are
round the wrong way"? Who does that?
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...we reveal the links
to organised crime...
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The big breeders,
the majority of them are criminals,
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drug dealers, organised crime gangs,
who are driving the market.
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...and the devastating impact
of the trade in extreme dogs.
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Every time I shut my eyes...
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...| try and tell myself
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that's not the last image
that I've got of him.
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Right, I think it's in here.
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Yeah, here we are.
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Hope Rescue.
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Hello. Hi. I'm Sam from the BBC.
I'm here for Vanessa.
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This rescue centre in Wales is at
the sharp end of the dog trade,
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caring for abused
and abandoned dogs.
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Dogs like Keanu,
an American bully...
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Oh, my goodness!
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...one of the new extreme
mixed-breed bulldogs
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becoming more and more popular.
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It's as though
his legs are on back to front.
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Who thinks, "I know -
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"let's breed a dog whose legs are
round the wrong way"? Who does that?
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There are no surgical options
for him. The vets have said,
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"There's nothing we can do
about that."
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How old is he?
He's eight months old.
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He's only eight months?
But just look how big he is.
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Look how thickset he is.
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This is torture. You know what
these clogs are going to look like,
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but you're still breeding them,
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trying to get more and more
exaggerated features.
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I mean, it looks painful
when he's bent over like that.
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Oh! We're seeing this
every single week.
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This is day-to-day life
for us here at the rescue now.
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Then there's Alvin,
also an American bully.
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Like Keanu,
he's a victim of extreme breeding,
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where dogs are deliberately bred
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to create
exaggerated characteristics.
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He actually came in as a stray.
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Highly likely he was
deliberately abandoned, though,
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clue to his health issues.
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Alvin's ears have been cropped
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and he's got skin missing
from his front paws.
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So, he's scuffed and bleeding
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because he just is unable
to have that strength to walk?
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He can't hold... The sheer weight
of these clogs, the muscle tone...
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Oh, look at that! I know.
You poor thing!
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Oh, you can see his leg. Yeah.
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His leg just totally twists around.
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And, again, bad breeding.
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It's the only reason for it.
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In the last 12 months,
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ten dogs have been in
such poor condition
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due to extreme breeding
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that Hope Rescue have had
to put them to sleep.
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Robin! That's it. Good boy.
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The breeders don't care.
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They're not the ones
that are seeing the heartache.
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These clogs aren't going
to see past their second birthdays.
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Some of them,
including my own foster dog,
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was put to sleep at six months old.
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Now, I didn't get into rescue
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to have to euthanise
six-month-old puppies.
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That's not why
I got into animal welfare.
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I can't tell you how hard...
I'm going to cry now.
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I can't tell you
how heartbreaking that is for us.
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Gosh, it...
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Bulldog breeds have become some of
the most sought after in the UK,
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whether it's the petite
French bulldog,
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with 54,000 new puppies
registered in 2021,
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the flat-faced English bulldog,
with more than 15,000 registered...
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...or the bigger American bully,
a modern crossbreed.
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And now unscrupulous dealers
are cashing in.
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This is Karl and Victoria Shellard.
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Their business, PosherBulls,
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sold English bulldogs
with extreme features.
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Their dogs advertised
on social media for up to £20,000.
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Two years ago, business was booming
for the Shellards.
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Then they caught the eye
of the authorities.
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First of all, we checked to see
whether or not they were registered,
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which they weren't.
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But social media and adverts
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suggested that they were breeding
in quite a big way.
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They were selling to Asia.
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They were selling to the Far East.
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They were selling to America.
They were selling all over.
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When investigators
raided PosherBulls,
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they found a huge operation -
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kennel after kennel
in the back garden,
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boxes in the kitchen
for the dogs to give birth in,
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even a fertility clinic.
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It's a laboratory -
a purpose-built laboratory -
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with a centrifuge,
with units to enable him
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to do the stud work
and the artificial insemination,
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just a walk away from the house
to do your business with the dog,
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probably on a milking stool,
and then back down for tea.
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There were 27 dogs on site.
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The Shellards were also creating
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their own signature English bulldog
with extreme features.
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The type of dog that
they were developing
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had big rope necks and rolls of fur
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and looked
a really cuddly type of dog,
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but these clogs were
desperately unhealthy.
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They had respiratory problems
and, in a number of cases,
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weren't fit to be bred from.
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The Shellards were convicted
of animal welfare of fences in 2022.
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They were fined £19,000 each.
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A Proceeds of Crime Order was issued
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to recoup almost £400,000
of illegal profit.
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Despite the conviction,
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I've discovered the Shellards
are still in business.
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They're no longer selling dogs,
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but they're still in
the extreme breeding game.
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I want to find out what's going on.
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Posing as a potential customer,
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I make an appointment
with KarlShellard.
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He takes me through to see the dogs.
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And in an outbuilding,
I'm amazed to see
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his dog fertility clinic
still up and running.
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Remember, the Shellards
were prosecuted a year ago,
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but business looks as good as ever.
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The Shellards are still operating
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because they're exploiting
a loophole in the law.
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If you run a business
selling puppies,
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you need a licence
from your council,
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but if, like the Shellards,
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you're only breeding from male dogs,
then you don't need one at all.
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We asked Marc Adams-Jones
what he thought
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about the Shellards getting back into
the dog-breeding game.
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Unbelievable.
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KarlShellard is making
an enormous amount of money,
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according to what I've just seen
on the footage.
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He's doing that at the moment
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within the confines
of the regulations.
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We need to look at things
differently.
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We need to look at the way
the breeders are looking at it
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in order to tighten up
on the regulations.
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Karl and Victoria Shellard
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didn't respond to the allegations
in this program me.
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It's those lax regulations
and huge profits
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that are now attracting
a different sort of extreme breeder
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linked to organised crime.
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Hi. How are you doing?
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An animal welfare investigator
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who's been looking into
the bulldog trade
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has agreed to speak to me.
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She's worried about her safety,
so we're concealing her identity.
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It's a massively lucrative trade,
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a multitude of breeders
throughout the UK that are linked.
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What are you seeing?
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The more extreme dog
that you produce,
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the more money you get.
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Who are the main people
in this network?
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The big breeders,
the majority of them are criminals,
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drug dealers, organised crime gangs
who are driving the market.
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It's exactly the same business model
as selling drugs,
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but we're talking about clogs.
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This is the UK American Bully
Kennel Club Show.
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It has no connection
to the official UK Kennel Club.
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I've been tipped off that this event
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is full of extreme breeding
and cruel practices.
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I'm undercover with a colleague
to gather evidence.
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Inside the main arena,
I watch the competition.
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All of the dogs have
incredibly muscular frames.
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I also notice that
most have their ears cropped -
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a practice banned 17 years ago.
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But, here,
American bullies with cropped ears
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win many of the main prizes.
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It's of real concern to the RSPCA,
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and to us, to see clogs
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that have been mutilated -
deliberately mutilated.
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It's totally against the law.
It's totally illegal in the UK.
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Ultimately, there is no excuse.
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The only reason an animal's ears
have been cut off is for aesthetics.
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It's because people want them
to look that way.
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In the last three years,
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more than 1,000 incidents
of illegal ear cropping
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have been reported to the RSPCA
in England and Wales.
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Most cases involve bully breeds.
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Because it is illegal
in this country,
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it is then going to
this underground network of people
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to perform that surgery.
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It really is a worrying trend
and really quite concerning
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and, from an animal welfare
perspective,
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is absolutely appalling.
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Back at the dog show,
I check out the stalls.
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I recognise a number of faces here.
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Some of them have criminal records.
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Nathan Stevens was jailed
for attacking a man with a glass
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and leaving him partially blinded.
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Anton Boston is
a convicted fraudster
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and runs a dog-breeding business
in Wales.
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And this man has three convictions
for violence.
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We can't name him because
he's currently in court
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facing more charges.
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We wrote to
the American Bully Kennel Club UK.
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They did not respond.
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I want to dig deeper into the world
of extreme bulldog breeding.
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It seems like most sales take place
on social media.
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I set up a Facebook profile
under a false name -
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Stefan Delaney.
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I make him out to be a dog lover
and a businessman from Leeds.
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I start to build his network.
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As Stefan, I comment on
people's dog posts,
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offer advice, and generally become
a friend to all.
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One name catches my eye - Aaron Lee.
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He was an apprentice judge
at the dog show.
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He runs a dog-breeding business
called Balaclava Bullys.
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As a judge, you'd think he has
high dog-welfare standards...
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DOG WHINES
Up, up. Here, up, up, up.
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...but, here, he appears
to be training a dog to attack a man
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inside what looks like a police van.
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INDISTINCT SHOUTING
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Aaron Lee promotes
the extreme characteristics
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of his puppies again and again
on social media.
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Little puppy update for everyone.
A little mouse.
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Look how strong they are.
Look at that muscle.
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HE CHUCKLES
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I make an appointment to see him.
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Aaron Lee is also exploiting
the loophole
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in licensing regulations
by just breeding from his male dogs.
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He tells me he's focused on
maximising their extreme features.
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He takes me inside,
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and in a back room are
two tiny American bully puppies
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with freshly cropped ears.
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Aaron Lee seems
to be doing pretty well
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from his breeding business.
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I show the footage of the dogs
with the freshly cropped ears
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to the RSPCA.
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So, they're ten weeks old.
Yeah, it's...
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I mean, clearly, the fact that
you can see they've been cut
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at ten weeks old,
that is clearly an of fence
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and, clearly, these clogs
have been cropped in this country.
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What would
the punishment be for that?
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So, up to five years, potentially,
for causing suffering to an animal
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00:16:16,160 --> 00:16:20,535
and/or a lifetime ban, and fines -
you know, significant fines.
246
00:16:22,680 --> 00:16:26,735
Aaron Lee didn't respond to
the allegations in this program me.
247
00:16:29,240 --> 00:16:31,615
He leads me to the next connection.
248
00:16:31,640 --> 00:16:35,255
On Facebook,
he regularly tags this man -
249
00:16:35,280 --> 00:16:37,575
Thomas Rayment.
250
00:16:37,600 --> 00:16:41,135
That doesn't make sense to me
because Rayment's in prison.
251
00:16:41,160 --> 00:16:44,535
He was jailed for six years in 2021
252
00:16:44,560 --> 00:16:47,375
for running
a county lines drugs gang.
253
00:16:47,400 --> 00:16:51,455
By this time, my fake
bulldog-loving profile - Stefan -
254
00:16:51,480 --> 00:16:54,375
is getting popular,
and he gets a message.
255
00:16:57,040 --> 00:16:59,855
It's from Thomas Rayment.
256
00:16:59,880 --> 00:17:02,175
I reply as Stefan.
257
00:17:04,560 --> 00:17:07,895
I think there's probably
two possibilities here -
258
00:17:07,920 --> 00:17:10,255
either someone else is running
259
00:17:10,280 --> 00:17:12,655
Thomas Rayment's account
on Facebook,
260
00:17:12,680 --> 00:17:17,495
or Rayment is messaging me himself
from prison.
261
00:17:19,560 --> 00:17:21,055
From the Rayment account,
262
00:17:21,080 --> 00:17:25,215
I'm sent pictures of two dogs
that have produced a litter.
263
00:17:25,240 --> 00:17:27,415
The puppies
are being offered for sale
264
00:17:27,440 --> 00:17:30,615
through a company called
Muscletone Bullys UK.
265
00:17:30,640 --> 00:17:34,055
And Muscletone is massive.
266
00:17:34,080 --> 00:17:36,055
Imagine one big,
international kennel,
267
00:17:36,080 --> 00:17:38,535
but with franchises
all over the world.
268
00:17:38,560 --> 00:17:41,575
Muscletone is one of
the most well-known breeding lines
269
00:17:41,600 --> 00:17:43,135
in the bully trade. Now,
270
00:17:43,160 --> 00:17:48,375
if you look here,
at the UK arm of the business,
271
00:17:48,400 --> 00:17:50,695
that's Thomas Rayment on the left.
272
00:17:50,720 --> 00:17:52,575
Now, he seems to own the franchise
273
00:17:52,600 --> 00:17:54,175
here in the UK for Muscletone.
274
00:17:54,200 --> 00:17:56,815
And then that man on the right -
275
00:17:56,840 --> 00:17:59,935
the one with
the really distinctive face tattoo -
276
00:17:59,960 --> 00:18:02,055
that's a man called Ryan Howard.
277
00:18:02,080 --> 00:18:05,135
Now, if you look
in the Breedings section,
278
00:18:05,160 --> 00:18:07,575
if I go to the Breedings section,
279
00:18:07,600 --> 00:18:10,575
the two main points of contact
280
00:18:10,600 --> 00:18:14,335
are Ryan Howard and Thomas Rayment.
281
00:18:15,920 --> 00:18:18,175
Muscletone Bullys UK claims
282
00:18:18,200 --> 00:18:20,895
to sell its dogs for huge sums,
283
00:18:20,920 --> 00:18:23,055
with pups not even born yet
284
00:18:23,080 --> 00:18:25,815
apparently selling
for tens of thousands,
285
00:18:25,840 --> 00:18:28,815
others up to
a quarter of a million.
286
00:18:28,840 --> 00:18:33,775
I message Rayment back,
again, as Stefan.
287
00:18:35,880 --> 00:18:39,015
The Thomas Rayment account
goes quiet for a while,
288
00:18:39,040 --> 00:18:41,535
and I wonder whether
the deal's gone cold.
289
00:18:41,560 --> 00:18:43,015
Then, suddenly...
290
00:19:01,360 --> 00:19:03,895
Right. So, this is Bridge Street.
291
00:19:06,920 --> 00:19:08,815
That...
292
00:19:08,840 --> 00:19:14,055
And that is not the house
of a dog seller.
293
00:19:14,080 --> 00:19:15,975
That's a fertility clinic.
294
00:19:17,240 --> 00:19:20,735
The meeting's been arranged
for four o'clock.
295
00:19:20,760 --> 00:19:23,975
I'm supposed to be meeting
Thomas Rayment.
296
00:19:24,000 --> 00:19:25,695
They're expecting businessman...
297
00:19:26,680 --> 00:19:28,055
...Stefan Delaney.
298
00:19:36,040 --> 00:19:39,815
It's Ryan Howard,
Thomas Rayment's business partner.
299
00:19:41,040 --> 00:19:43,255
I tell him that
I'm Stefan's girlfriend
300
00:19:43,280 --> 00:19:44,815
and that Stefan's running late.
301
00:19:44,840 --> 00:19:46,095
Hey!
302
00:19:50,000 --> 00:19:52,935
I try to get to the bottom
of who's been messaging me.
303
00:20:13,600 --> 00:20:18,295
According to his business partner,
convicted drug dealer Thomas Rayment
304
00:20:18,320 --> 00:20:22,535
is running a very lucrative
breeding business from prison,
305
00:20:22,560 --> 00:20:27,135
with the best of the litter
going for more than £10,000.
306
00:20:37,800 --> 00:20:41,295
Ryan Howard is not licensed
to breed and sell dogs,
307
00:20:41,320 --> 00:20:44,055
but he says he's got a huge network.
308
00:20:51,880 --> 00:20:54,335
The other dogs are looked after
through a network
309
00:20:54,360 --> 00:20:56,495
of what's called co-owns,
310
00:20:56,520 --> 00:20:59,335
where the dealer gets someone else
to house the dog
311
00:20:59,360 --> 00:21:01,895
while profiting from any sales.
312
00:21:01,920 --> 00:21:05,855
It means that breeders can sell
dozens and dozens of puppies
313
00:21:05,880 --> 00:21:07,775
without looking after them
314
00:21:07,800 --> 00:21:11,095
and without the authorities
having any idea.
315
00:21:13,280 --> 00:21:16,575
I tell Ryan Howard that
Stefan's looking to invest.
316
00:21:31,240 --> 00:21:35,415
Ryan Howard told Panorama that
Muscletone Bullys UK...
317
00:21:42,960 --> 00:21:44,055
He said...
318
00:21:49,520 --> 00:21:50,775
He said they'd...
319
00:21:56,400 --> 00:21:57,735
And added that...
320
00:22:04,760 --> 00:22:06,695
Animal welfare investigators
321
00:22:06,720 --> 00:22:10,695
are seeing a growing trend
in the practice of co-owning dogs.
322
00:22:10,720 --> 00:22:13,335
They say it can lead to
mistreatment of the animals,
323
00:22:13,360 --> 00:22:15,575
and that can be dangerous.
324
00:22:15,600 --> 00:22:19,455
These breeders are passing
these clogs from pillar to post.
325
00:22:19,480 --> 00:22:23,095
One clay, they could be
at a property with ten kids.
326
00:22:23,120 --> 00:22:26,935
The next clay, they could be
at a property left for clays alone.
327
00:22:28,000 --> 00:22:30,095
These can be dangerous clogs.
328
00:22:31,240 --> 00:22:33,415
Although American bullies
are not banned,
329
00:22:33,440 --> 00:22:36,495
historically, they've been crossbred
with pit bulls,
330
00:22:36,520 --> 00:22:40,295
and they've been banned
in the UK since 1991.
331
00:22:41,680 --> 00:22:43,135
A woman from Wrexham
332
00:22:43,160 --> 00:22:46,535
whose partner's dad died after
being bitten by one of their dogs
333
00:22:46,560 --> 00:22:49,215
says she feels like
she's living in a nightmare.
334
00:22:49,240 --> 00:22:54,455
2022 was the deadliest ever
for fatal dog attacks in the UK.
335
00:22:56,680 --> 00:22:59,935
Merseyside Police say
the death of a 17-month-old girl
336
00:22:59,960 --> 00:23:01,855
after being attacked by a pet dog
337
00:23:01,880 --> 00:23:05,175
has left her family
and the local community in shock.
338
00:23:05,200 --> 00:23:09,975
Ten people were killed -
four of them children - last year.
339
00:23:10,000 --> 00:23:13,735
American bullies were responsible
for six deaths.
340
00:23:19,600 --> 00:23:22,055
Caerphilly, 2021.
341
00:23:23,320 --> 00:23:27,215
This is Beast,
an American XL bully -
342
00:23:27,240 --> 00:23:29,495
the largest type of this breed.
343
00:23:29,520 --> 00:23:35,095
Beast weighs more than 8st
by the time he's 15 months old.
344
00:23:36,480 --> 00:23:39,255
The man holding the dog
can't control it.
345
00:23:40,320 --> 00:23:43,655
It jumps up at one child,
biting her on the arm.
346
00:23:45,800 --> 00:23:48,415
The man repeatedly punches the dog.
347
00:23:50,080 --> 00:23:52,855
At one point,
it fixates on a young girl.
348
00:23:53,880 --> 00:23:56,415
She moves away behind a parked van.
349
00:23:58,920 --> 00:24:00,735
When it snaps at the child...
350
00:24:01,800 --> 00:24:04,375
...the man punches the dog again.
351
00:24:09,080 --> 00:24:12,055
Four days later,
just around the corner,
352
00:24:12,080 --> 00:24:15,935
ten-year-old jack Lis leaves home
with his skateboard.
353
00:24:20,040 --> 00:24:23,255
Emma. Hiya. Sam from the BBC.
Nice to meet you.
354
00:24:23,280 --> 00:24:25,375
How are you doing?
Can I come in? Yeah, sure.
355
00:24:25,400 --> 00:24:27,415
You've got photos everywhere. Yeah.
356
00:24:29,120 --> 00:24:31,815
They've become more important now,
these photos?
357
00:24:31,840 --> 00:24:35,535
Yeah, you don't realise that. No.
358
00:24:35,560 --> 00:24:39,015
One of his favourite films
was Back To The Future...
359
00:24:39,040 --> 00:24:40,975
OK. ..so we put that together,
360
00:24:41,000 --> 00:24:43,455
and that was on his shelf
in his bedroom.
361
00:24:43,480 --> 00:24:45,695
They all have a proper place. Yeah.
362
00:24:45,720 --> 00:24:47,695
Back To The Future!
363
00:24:49,720 --> 00:24:51,775
Wahey!
364
00:24:51,800 --> 00:24:54,775
He said, "Can I go out to play?"
365
00:24:54,800 --> 00:24:59,375
Ancl he wanted to take his skateboard
with him. And...
366
00:25:02,880 --> 00:25:05,895
...the last thing I said to him was,
"Be careful."
367
00:25:08,040 --> 00:25:12,535
Jack had met his friend
straight after leaving the house,
368
00:25:12,560 --> 00:25:17,895
and his friend said, "Do you want
to come and see my new dog?"
369
00:25:19,440 --> 00:25:20,895
Ancl within...
370
00:25:22,320 --> 00:25:27,055
...maybe ten, 15 minutes of that,
my door knocked.
371
00:25:27,080 --> 00:25:30,495
There was a lady saying,
"You're Jack's mum?"
372
00:25:30,520 --> 00:25:36,175
I said, "Yeah." She said,
"He's been attacked by a dog."
373
00:25:36,200 --> 00:25:40,455
I just jumped in the car.
I pulled up outside the house.
374
00:25:40,480 --> 00:25:42,095
You could hear the dog barking.
375
00:25:42,120 --> 00:25:44,095
The dog tried
running through the door.
376
00:25:45,800 --> 00:25:49,575
Ancl that's how I saw the dog's face.
377
00:25:54,640 --> 00:25:58,975
The dog had only attacked
one part of him,
378
00:25:59,000 --> 00:26:00,455
and it was here up.
379
00:26:02,280 --> 00:26:03,855
His face?
380
00:26:03,880 --> 00:26:05,095
Ah, OK.
381
00:26:08,320 --> 00:26:09,575
Ancl his neck.
382
00:26:11,040 --> 00:26:14,255
They kept saying, "They're working
on him. They're working on him."
383
00:26:16,160 --> 00:26:17,455
And then...
384
00:26:22,880 --> 00:26:24,815
...the paramedic walked away...
385
00:26:27,000 --> 00:26:28,815
...and came back with a blanket...
386
00:26:33,920 --> 00:26:35,335
...and I knew.
387
00:26:38,560 --> 00:26:40,295
I can't say out loud...
388
00:26:41,520 --> 00:26:43,575
...what else I saw
because I don't want...
389
00:26:45,000 --> 00:26:47,535
...other people
to have to picture it either.
390
00:26:49,760 --> 00:26:52,135
Brandon Hayden,
who co-owned the dog,
391
00:26:52,160 --> 00:26:55,935
was jailed for four and a half years
after admitting owning,
392
00:26:55,960 --> 00:26:59,015
or being in charge of,
a dangerously out-of-control dog.
393
00:27:00,960 --> 00:27:04,975
His friend, Amy Salter,
was jailed for three years.
394
00:27:05,000 --> 00:27:09,215
The pair were banned
from ever owning a dog again.
395
00:27:09,240 --> 00:27:11,135
Every time I shut my eyes...
396
00:27:14,960 --> 00:27:16,775
...| try and tell myself
397
00:27:16,800 --> 00:27:20,095
that's not the last image
that I've got of him.
398
00:27:20,120 --> 00:27:22,495
I try and tell myself
it was when he shut the door
399
00:27:22,520 --> 00:27:24,215
with his skateboard in his hands.
400
00:27:25,960 --> 00:27:27,095
But...
401
00:27:30,040 --> 00:27:31,455
...that's not true.
402
00:27:37,760 --> 00:27:39,975
The dog that killed jack
403
00:27:40,000 --> 00:27:41,615
underlines many of the problems
404
00:27:41,640 --> 00:27:45,175
with the trade in bulldogs
with extreme characteristics.
405
00:27:45,200 --> 00:27:47,735
Brandon Hayden wasn't
a licensed breeder.
406
00:27:47,760 --> 00:27:49,295
He co-owned the dog
407
00:27:49,320 --> 00:27:53,015
and he got hold of it
through an advert on social media.
408
00:27:53,040 --> 00:27:57,255
And look at this - just two months
after jack is killed,
409
00:27:57,280 --> 00:28:00,695
here's Brandon Hayden
advertising for sale
410
00:28:00,720 --> 00:28:04,735
a litter of American bully puppies
on Instagram.
411
00:28:07,440 --> 00:28:11,895
After months undercover
investigating the bulldog trade,
412
00:28:11,920 --> 00:28:14,855
one thing is clear to me -
413
00:28:14,880 --> 00:28:19,215
as long as the regulations
governing dog breeding remain lax,
414
00:28:19,240 --> 00:28:22,455
then unscrupulous breeders
and criminals
415
00:28:22,480 --> 00:28:25,735
are going to carry on cashing in,
416
00:28:25,760 --> 00:28:31,055
and that means both people and dogs
are going to suffer.