A COVENTRY man who posted photos of his XL bully dogs on Instagram has been banned from keeping animals for 15 years after being convicted of arranging illegal ear-cropping procedures.
Wayne Ruiz of Little Field in Stoke Heath was sentenced at Warwick Crown Court on July 4 after pleading guilty to two Animal Welfare Act offences against his two dogs, Lava and Kong.
Ruiz was also given an 18-week prison sentence suspended for 18 months, while Lava and Kong are now in RSPCA care.
An RSPCA inspector visited Ruiz’s previous address in Nuneaton after a report was made about his dogs having cropped ears.
Insp Louise Marston said although Ruiz was not at home during that visit, she was able to see Lava and Kong in his garden and could see they had cropped ears.
Photos of the same dogs posted on Instagram just weeks earlier showed them with their ears intact.
Enquiries also showed that Ruiz had deleted posts, including images of Lava and Kong as puppies.
Following the initial visit, a search warrant with the police was obtained and, on Wednesday, September 28, Insp Marston, an RSPCA animal rescue officer, a council dog warden and a police officer attended Ruiz’s address.
An ear splint was found and blood was splattered across a wall in the dining room.
A notebook was found on Ruiz’s bed, with his Instagram profile name written on the first page.
The book included a brief family history of each puppy along with £5,500 written underneath their names.
Enquiries were made with the man who sold Lava and Kong to Ruiz, who confirmed the dogs didn’t have cropped ears when they were sold.
Ear cropping is illegal in the UK and EU as it is considered an act of mutilation, meaning having the procedure in this country means Lava and Kong could not have received appropriate pain relief either during or after the procedure.
The RSPCA said this means Lava and Kong would have suffered as a result of having their ears cropped.
Insp Marston said: “Ear cropping is a horrific immoral, unnecessary and repulsive practice which has absolutely no benefits for the dogs and can cause them lifelong health, behavioural and social problems.
“This is done purely for cosmetic purposes.”
