Marty
04-24-2007, 12:47 AM
UK -- A sadistic thug who cropped his puppy's ears to make it look like a menacing pitbull has been banned from owning animals for 10 years.
Ozkan Albay, 21, was found with the mutilated pup's bloody ears in his jeans pocket when he was stopped by police.
Officers found Albay carrying his pet, Saffron, while he was walking through Edmonton, north London, with his girlfriend in June last year.
The two-month-old puppy, which had not been anaesthetised, was shaking and police said the cuts looked "rough".
RSPCA officers said it was a "horrific and cruel" example of a trend which is becoming increasingly common, particularly in London.
They said youngsters are barbarically hacking off the ears of Staffordshire bull terriers to make them look more like pitbull terriers which are illegal to own.
Chris Simms, prosecuting, told Enfield Magistrates' Court how Albay was stopped by police.
He said: "This matter came to light on June 27 last year when the two defendants were stopped in Edmonton at around midday. They were carrying a young puppy and were stopped by police who noticed the puppy appeared to be shaking.
"They investigated and found the puppy's ears had been cut.
"The officers noticed that the cut looked rough and crucially the puppy's ears were then found in the male defendant's jeans wrapped in a tissue.
"It was taken to a vet for examination, who found the dog was very wary and scared of being touched around the ears. Yet the vet found no evidence that the pup had been anaesthetised and called it a mutilation because of the appearance of the cut.
"When interviewed by police, the defendant said the dog's ears had been cut before he bought the dog, and he told police he had picked the ears up as a memento."
Alex Britton, for Albay, argued that the practise was legal in many European countries as well as in America, and Albay, whose family are Turkish, did not know that it was illegal in England.
Albay, of Edmonton, north London, was handed a 12-month supervision order, ordered to do 200 hours of community service and was banned from owning any animal for 10 years. He was also ordered to pay costs of £500.
His girlfriend, Tuthanh Chung, 20, from Enfield, north London, was banned from owning any animal for two years, made to work 60 hours community service, and will have to pay £100 costs.
Albay admitted one charge of permitting suffering to be caused to a dog and one charge of failing to seek medical care, but denied one count of causing suffering to a dog. He was found guilty of that count following the trial.
Sentencing Albay, Magistrate Susan Rose said: "These are very serious offences. For the offence of cropping the animal's ears, you will have a 12 month supervision order and 200 hours of unpaid work.
"For permitting suffering to be caused to a dog and omitting to call for veterinary care, you will have a 12 month supervision order to run concurrently.
"You will also be banned from owning any animal for 10 years, and pay costs of £500."
Speaking outside court, RSPCA officer Natalie Bertle said: "Cropping the ears of Staffordshire bull terriers is done for status.
"It is done to make the dog look more menacing and to make it look more like a pitbull type dog. In London it is quite common and increasingly becoming a problem.
"The case today was a particularly horrific case, and the animal was subjected to a cruel, horrific and deliberate act which caused it to suffer."
The vet that looked after Saffron, William Turner, added: "This is done illegally on puppies which are basically pet quality Staffies, to give the impression that they are macho and like the American pit bull terrier."
Saffron has since been rehoused with a new family
http://www.lse.co.uk/ShowStory.asp?story=PN2336566H&news_headline=pet_ban_for_thug_who_cropped_puppys_ ears
Ozkan Albay, 21, was found with the mutilated pup's bloody ears in his jeans pocket when he was stopped by police.
Officers found Albay carrying his pet, Saffron, while he was walking through Edmonton, north London, with his girlfriend in June last year.
The two-month-old puppy, which had not been anaesthetised, was shaking and police said the cuts looked "rough".
RSPCA officers said it was a "horrific and cruel" example of a trend which is becoming increasingly common, particularly in London.
They said youngsters are barbarically hacking off the ears of Staffordshire bull terriers to make them look more like pitbull terriers which are illegal to own.
Chris Simms, prosecuting, told Enfield Magistrates' Court how Albay was stopped by police.
He said: "This matter came to light on June 27 last year when the two defendants were stopped in Edmonton at around midday. They were carrying a young puppy and were stopped by police who noticed the puppy appeared to be shaking.
"They investigated and found the puppy's ears had been cut.
"The officers noticed that the cut looked rough and crucially the puppy's ears were then found in the male defendant's jeans wrapped in a tissue.
"It was taken to a vet for examination, who found the dog was very wary and scared of being touched around the ears. Yet the vet found no evidence that the pup had been anaesthetised and called it a mutilation because of the appearance of the cut.
"When interviewed by police, the defendant said the dog's ears had been cut before he bought the dog, and he told police he had picked the ears up as a memento."
Alex Britton, for Albay, argued that the practise was legal in many European countries as well as in America, and Albay, whose family are Turkish, did not know that it was illegal in England.
Albay, of Edmonton, north London, was handed a 12-month supervision order, ordered to do 200 hours of community service and was banned from owning any animal for 10 years. He was also ordered to pay costs of £500.
His girlfriend, Tuthanh Chung, 20, from Enfield, north London, was banned from owning any animal for two years, made to work 60 hours community service, and will have to pay £100 costs.
Albay admitted one charge of permitting suffering to be caused to a dog and one charge of failing to seek medical care, but denied one count of causing suffering to a dog. He was found guilty of that count following the trial.
Sentencing Albay, Magistrate Susan Rose said: "These are very serious offences. For the offence of cropping the animal's ears, you will have a 12 month supervision order and 200 hours of unpaid work.
"For permitting suffering to be caused to a dog and omitting to call for veterinary care, you will have a 12 month supervision order to run concurrently.
"You will also be banned from owning any animal for 10 years, and pay costs of £500."
Speaking outside court, RSPCA officer Natalie Bertle said: "Cropping the ears of Staffordshire bull terriers is done for status.
"It is done to make the dog look more menacing and to make it look more like a pitbull type dog. In London it is quite common and increasingly becoming a problem.
"The case today was a particularly horrific case, and the animal was subjected to a cruel, horrific and deliberate act which caused it to suffer."
The vet that looked after Saffron, William Turner, added: "This is done illegally on puppies which are basically pet quality Staffies, to give the impression that they are macho and like the American pit bull terrier."
Saffron has since been rehoused with a new family
http://www.lse.co.uk/ShowStory.asp?story=PN2336566H&news_headline=pet_ban_for_thug_who_cropped_puppys_ ears