RSPCA: Man jailed for setting dogs on fox trapped in garage - and cropping his bullies' ears

Warning: This story contains graphic content, video, and images which may be distressing to some readers

A Lancashire man has been jailed for more than two years for a "portfolio" of animal cruelty offences, against both a wild fox and his own pet dogs.

Dane Crawford, 30, appeared at Preston Crown Court on Monday (5 February) for sentencing alongside his 23-year-old girlfriend Shelby Wallis. Crawford and Wallis had both previously pleaded guilty to four offences under the Animal Welfare Act. These included failing to treat their two lurchers’ injuries, including a badly fractured leg, and for allowing the ears of two of their bully-type dogs to be illegally cropped. 

Crawford also admitted causing unnecessary suffering to a fox, after RSPCA investigators uncovered cell phone footage of him setting his dogs on the wild animal while it was trapped inside a garage. This week, he was sentenced to a total of 30 months in prison and ordered to pay £3,500 in court costs. He was also disqualified from keeping all animals for life. Wallis was handed a three-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, and ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work. She must also pay £2,500, and was banned from keeping animals for 10 years.

Sentencing the couple, Judge Medlund said they had shown "cruel and neglectful behaviour", which caused the animals to suffer "to a substantial degree". Addressing Crawford in relation to the offences against the fox, he said: “Your behaviour was criminal and utterly shocking.”

The RSPCA launched an investigation following reports of puppies having their ears cropped, leading to police and council staff executing a warrant at a Lancaster property in February 2022. A number of dogs were present, but there was no evidence of any crimes having been committed. 

During the property search, two cell phones were recovered and given to the charity’s Special Operations Unit for analysis, which uncovered images and videos of wildlife being set loose in enclosed spaces, and being attacked by dogs as people could be heard encouraging them. Lancashire Police then visited the property again, and arrested Crawford.

A number of dogs were found at the property, including two lurchers - called Major and Lassie - with untreated injuries, and several bully-type dogs with cropped ears. Five dogs total were seized from the property. RSPCA Inspector Will Lamping, who led the investigation, said after the case: “An image [above] was recovered showing Crawford in very distinctive trainers with one of his dogs, holding a dead fox. We could identify him within the video of the fox being attacked because of these trainers.”

A vet assessed the lurchers and bull-breed dogs after they were removed from the home. She described Major’s facial injuries as "unusual", and suspected they’d been caused by another animal at least 72 hours earlier. She said, in her witness statement, that the owner should have sought veterinary advice. She described Lassie’s fractured leg as "a traumatic wound", adding: “I am not sure how it happened but the dog has been left with a very painful leg and the owner had not sought timely veterinary advice. As such there was development of swelling and more pain, and infection.”

Inspector Lamping added: “In interview, Crawford told me he got the two lurchers six weeks before from Appleby. Wallis told me that the three bull-breed dogs were hers and that they’d been imported.” While it is illegal to crop a dog's ears in the UK, it is not illegal to import one whose ears have already been cropped.

Lassie and Major have both been treated for their injuries, and have since been rehomed. Following the sentencing, Inspector Lamping said: "This case sends a clear message to those that choose to engage in wildlife persecution and ear cropping that their cruel activities will not be tolerated.

"It took many hours to comb through the videos and pictures on the phones recovered; but this work uncovered the serious level of cruelty shown to both the wild animals literally being thrown to the dogs - and to the puppies whose ears were being mutilated.

"The defendants' own dogs were used in these attacks and were left without vet treatment for serious injuries - including a fractured leg," he continued. "Both have been handed lengthy bans on keeping animals, and handed prison or suspended prison sentences, for their treatment of animals."