Jail for men involved in Stoke puppy ear cropping

Diesel is one of three dogs found to have had his ears cropped

Three men have been jailed after three puppies had their ears cropped illegally.

Alexander David Johnson, 32, and Ryan Woodward, 24, from Stoke-on-Trent, and Michael Nolan, 31, from Carlisle, were sentenced at Cannock Magistrates' Court after admitting their involvement in the procedure.

Staffordshire Police said the dogs were found bleeding with stitches in their ears and were hardly breathing.

They have since been found new homes.

Johnson, from Elmsmere Road in the Abbey Hulton area, was sentenced to 24 weeks' imprisonment after pleading guilty to carrying out a banned procedure - on all three dogs - contrary to the Animal Welfare Act.

Woodward, from Forrest Court, Hanley, was jailed for 19 weeks after pleading guilty to helping Johnson carry out the procedure.

Nolan, from Victoria Road in Carlisle, was jailed for 14 weeks after pleading guilty to allowing, while being responsible for a puppy, a person to carry out the procedure and failing to take steps to stop it.

All three were also disqualified from keeping dogs. Johnson was banned for life and the other two for 15 years.

Staffordshire Police said the case came to light when the force was told about a group of men carrying a crate of puppies in Hanley on 10 November 2020.

PC Rebecca Tyler, among the officers to respond, said: "This is something that my colleagues and I will remember for the rest of our careers.

"Two puppies were found bleeding with stitches in their ears and were hardly breathing.

"Another puppy was found with the same injuries hidden behind a sofa. A further three puppies were in the property but had not had the procedure."

Officers found an operating table and a bag containing cash and medical equipment

Ear cropping is illegal in England and Wales and is a process in which a dog's outer ears are removed altogether or are surgically altered, for cosmetic reasons.

The RSPCA has campaigned for tougher regulations but says it has seen increasing numbers of cases in recent years.

RSPCA inspector Jenny Bethel said a veterinary report on the dogs in Stoke found they "suffered considerable amounts of unnecessary pain and distress after the procedure".

The men were sentenced on Wednesday.