Lyla the bully had her ears cruelly and illegally cropped when she was just a puppy.
Now two, she was saved from a property in Staffordshire in November 2020 by Staffordshire Police and the RSPCA, after police officers found a litter of six puppies – three of which were in a semi-comatose state having had their ears cut.
The authorities also found latex gloves, bloody kitchen roll, syringes, needles, surgical scissors and blades, a staple gun, and medication at the scene.
RSPCA chief vet Caroline Allen said: ‘Ear cropping has absolutely no positive effect on the dog themself and is done purely for cosmetic reasons because someone wants a specific “tough” look for their dog.
‘Sadly, it’s a trend that, despite being illegal, seems to be growing in popularity.’
Three men, from Staffordshire and Cumbria, were jailed and disqualified from keeping dogs for the roles they played in cropping Lyla and her siblings’ ears.
Lyla, her cropped siblings Diesel and Moose, and her uncropped siblings Jed, Peanut, and Vera were taken to the care of the charity.
All of her litter found forever homes, with Lyla being adopted by Kelly and Jake Mattison, from Stockport, Greater Manchester.
Kelly said: ‘Lyla is an absolute angel and we are lucky to have her.
‘She’s the sweetest girl and is so gentle, especially with children and other dogs.
‘She absolutely loves her canine sister, Clover, and her doggy best friend and brother, Paulie.’
But sweet Lyla still deals with the emotional and physical effects of what she went through to this day.
Dog behaviourist and canine welfare expert Esme Wheeler said: ‘Sadly many dogs who have had their ears brutally cropped can face lifelong implications.
‘They can be nervous around people, head shy, and some struggle to socialise with other dogs, because dogs use their ears to communicate with each other.’
While Lyla loves hanging out with other dogs and can be lovely around people, she has also found trusting people difficult and hates it when her ears are touched.
Kelly said: ‘Lyla is still an anxious dog and it’s taken her a long, long time to trust us fully.
‘She hates having her ears cleaned or her nails cut, and she gets incredibly nervous going to the vets which is understandable after what she’s been through.
‘The worst thing, however, is the rain. She hates going out in the rain and finds it so uncomfortable as she can’t stop the water going in her ears.’
Kelly has and Jake also have fallout from the cruel cropping to deal with, as people in the street judge them for the way Lyla looks.
Kelly said: ‘Sadly, we get a lot of judgement when we’re out walking Lyla due to her ears.
‘My husband, Jake, has been called names by passers-by who obviously believe that we cropped her ears.’
Now, the charity is calling on the UK and Welsh Governments to close a legislative loophole that means it’s still legal to import dogs with cropped ears from overseas.
This results in unscrupulous owners sending their dogs abroad for cropping or, buying dogs who have already been through the horrifying process in other countries.
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