Woman cut tails off dogs with scissors

A woman faces prison after she cut the tails off eight puppies with a pair of scissors.

Gillian Breden is the first person in England to be prosecuted under new laws outlawing docking.

In a landmark case at Brighton Magistrates' Court yesterday 51-year-old Breden admitted snipping the tails off eight Rottweilers when they were a day old.

The court heard that Brighton and Hove City Council animal welfare officers found the month-old puppies at Breden's home in Grove Hill, Brighton, in June.

Len Batten, prosecuting for the council, said Breden immediately admitted she had docked the tails herself.

Yesterday she pleaded guilty to eight offences under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.

Breden said she had not known it was illegal to dock a tail and she had never done it before.

But the court ruled that ignorance was no excuse and that dog owners had a duty to research the law.

Magistrates delayed sentencing Breden until September 11 to wait for a report from the probation service. She was warned that her actions were so serious, she could get a custodial sentence.

The maximum penalty for each offence is six months in prison and a fine of £20,000.

Unemployed Breden might also be banned from keeping animals.

After council officers had the puppies inspected by a vet and the RSPCA, they had no power to keep them and returned them to Breden.

She told the court she sold seven for £300 and one for £450.

Breden still has the mother of the puppies but if she is disqualified from keeping pets the animal will have to be rehoused.

She said: "People asked me if I would dock their tails as soon as they were born so I did it. I didn't know it was illegal. People that have had them didn't know either.

"If I'd known it was cruel I wouldn't have done it. I am sorry for what I have done."

She said she had bred Alsations and greyhounds until ten years ago but had never bred Rottweilers before.

Magistrate Terence Reed said: "We feel that it is a very serious matter and that we can't rule out custody under the law. The report should address this as well as alternate community options."

He said the court would take into account her early plea but said there were aggravated features.

Mr Reed said: "It was done for profit, crudely done and you are not skilled at it."

Anyone could dock a dog's tail until 1993 when the law changed to allow only vets to carry out the procedure. Since April the Animal Welfare Act 2006 has ruled that vets can only remove tails for medical or working reasons because, for example, they might get stuck in undergrowth.

Docking them can cause pain, interfere with a dog's balance and communication with other dogs and bring about a fatal infection.

Maggi Hollands, the lead animal welfare officer in the case, said last night: "The city council animal welfare team are delighted that the magistrates have shown their support in relation to this deliberate act of animal cruelty.

"To dock a dog's tail is clearly outlawed under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.

"To cut off eight puppies' tails one after the other with no medical help or pain relief can only be described as barbaric.

"The animal welfare team will continue to enforce the requirements of this act in the hope of reducing animal suffering. We hope this gets a clear message across."