Man jailed following Internet advert

A man found keeping a pit bull bitch and her seven puppies has been jailed for eight weeks. Dean Smith from Bedfordshire was caught after a newspaper decided to prove just how easy it is to buy a pit bull in the UK.

Luton Magistrates' Court heard how Smith had placed an Internet advert selling "American Staff Pups", which used what the prosecutors labelled ‘underground’ terms, such as ‘old tyme’ and ‘blue brindle’. Smith was asking a whopping £600 each for the puppies.

In a taped telephone conversation, Smith said: "They are 100% full bred. I know they are definitely. There is nothing else in them."

Smith was arrested on 11 January following the paper’s allegations. All the animals were put down.