Coventry police concerns over unauthorised American bully dog meet

Ear cropping is illegal in the UK, but a loophole still allows dogs to be imported with cropped ears, the RSPCA said

Police and councillors want to prevent an unauthorised meeting of dog owners taking place in Coventry after an official event was cancelled.

The American Bully Kennel Club (ABKC) event at the Coventry Building Society Arena was stopped after welfare concerns were raised by BBC Panorama.

Social media accounts were now suggesting owners should meet elsewhere in the city, the council said.

Permission will not be granted for any parks or public spaces, they added.

"We are not demonising these dogs or their owners, we are just asking the organisers to find their own private venue should they wish to hold meetings such as these and not effectively ambush a local park and unsuspecting park users, where they can cause fear, alarm and distress," councillor Abdul Khan, deputy leader and cabinet member responsible for parks, said.

The event at the Coventry Building Society Arena on 11 February was pulled after undercover journalists at an ABKC UK show in Manchester showed hundreds of dogs being paraded with cropped ears.

The programme alleged organised crime was moving into the market of extreme dog breeding with bulldogs, including the new American Bully breed, being bred with hugely exaggerated characteristics.

The BBC filmed undercover at an ABKC UK event in Manchester in July

The RSPCA said it feared criminals were breeding and selling the dogs to launder money and make huge sums, often at the expense of animal welfare.

BBC journalists also filmed in the house of Aaron Lee, an ABKC UK qualified judge, and discovered two 10-week-old American bully puppies in a cage with freshly cropped ears.

Ear cropping is illegal in the UK, but a loophole still allows dogs to be imported with cropped ears, the RSPCA said.

Coventry City Council and West Midlands Police said joint action was being taken to prevent any meeting from taking place in the city and anyone acting in defiance of those instructions may face arrest.

Private premises or land-owners are also being advised to exercise caution if they are approached.

Insp Amy Wright, from Coventry Police, said: "Public spaces are there to be enjoyed by everyone and our priority is the safety of all park goers."

Panorama: Dogs, Dealers and Organised Crime and Disclosure: The Dog Dealers

Disclosure: The Dog Dealers