Organised crime groups have turned to breeding puppies with exaggerated features and often severe health problems for massive profits, an undercover BBC Panorama investigation has found.
The programme found unscrupulous criminal gangs were raking in profits by breeding puppies with extreme features, including large skin folds or deformed legs. The eight month investigation revealed how the practice was leading to a rise in young dogs being abandoned due to chronic health issues, often leading to them being put down by rescue centres.
One animal welfare investigator, who appeared in the episode undercover, told reporter Sam Poling: "It's a massively lucrative trade, a multitude of breeders throughout the UK are linked. The more extreme dog you produce, the more money you get.
READ MORE: EncroChat dealer 'Skint Harry' caught in Manchester Airport after sending texts about car
"The big breeders, the majority of them, are criminals; drug dealers, organised crime gangs, who are driving the market. It's exactly the same business model as selling drugs, but it's dogs."
As part of the investigation Ms Poling creates a fake Facebook profile pretending to be a dog enthusiast, and makes contact with a an account named Thomas Rayment - the head of a county lines drug dealing ring which flooded Warrington with crack cocaine and heroin.
Known as the 'Titch' line, the organised crime group were taken down by Cheshire Police's Serious and Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) and sentenced in February 2021. Rayment, of Brookvale Close in Burtonwood, Warrington, was locked up for six years.
The Panorama programme reveals that Ms Poling's fake account is offered American Bully puppies from the Rayment account, leaving her perplexed as Rayment was in prison. The account says the puppies are being bred by a company called Muscletone Bullys UK, which Ms Poling describes as a "massive international kennel with franchises all over the world".
According to Panorama, Rayment appears to own the UK arm of the franchise, along with a man called Ryan Howard. The Muscletone Bullys UK website is shown offering puppies for tens of thousands of pounds, including some who have not yet been born.
Ms Poling, fitted with a hidden camera, arranges to come and view a dog with the Rayment account and is given an address in Bridge Street, Wigan, which turns out to be a shop-front style business premsies bearing signage for 'Muscletone Bullys K9 Fertility Clinic'.
She is greeted by Mr Howard, Rayment's business partner, and shown into the shop. He tells her "me and Tom run Muscletone together, we're business partners...Tom's not here because he's in jail". Mr Howard says Rayment has been messaging her account from jail.
Mr Howard offers one dog for sale for £12,000, and points out a male who he would not sell at all. When asked "not for any price?", he responds: "I don't need money, I have got loads of money".
Despite not being licensed to breed or sell Mr Howard boasts he has 120 dogs worth thousands each. The reporter discusses potentially "co-owning" a dog, where an investor agrees to house and look after a dog, while a breeder puts it out to stud and the pair split the profits.
When Rayment was sentenced, Liverpool Crown Court heard he claimed his illegal drug money came from his dog breeding business, but detectives revealed he had been directed the activities of a network of dealers. He was also found to have an EncroChat phone and a stun gun in his car.
He later pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cocaine and heroin.
When later asked to give a statement to Panorama, Muscletone Bullys said it is known for breeding the "highest quality extreme American Bullys" without "compromising on the dog's health or wellbeing".
The company also said "Thomas Rayment does not communicate with anyone illegally and has others running his socials".
Panorama identified another breeding business, not connected to organised crime, but producing English bulldogs with extreme features, despite successful prosecutions against the owners for animal welfare offences.
Karl and Victoria Shellard were convicted of animal welfare offences last year having bred dogs with extreme and unhealthy features including huge skin folds, which interfered with their breathing. The Shellards were selling their extreme English bulldogs for up to £20,000 each.
The couple were fined £19,000 each but despite their conviction they are still in business, with Karl boasting in undercover footage that he made between £90,000 and £100,000 in one month putting his dogs out to stud.
The programme also revealed how many breeders and owners are cropping the ears of young dogs, a practice which is illegal and can cause serious distress and discomfort.
BBC PANORAMA: Dogs, Dealers and Organised Crime is available on BBC iPlayer.
READ NEXT
'Kind' TUI air hostess dies weeks after dad's sudden death at work
Son 'exploited' mum into laundering drug money from jail
Woman pelted with dog mess after asking youths to move from outside home
Couple issue 'Turkey teeth' warning after £4k procedure 'ruined their lives'
Police ask for help to find schoolgirl, 12, missing from home
