A shamed Crufts dog show judge has been ordered to pay £78,000 or face a year in jail after being caught secretly making a fortune from his own illegal puppy farm where he kept dogs in awful conditions.
Gareth Lawler, 57, made £153,000 from breeding 27 puppy litters while being a well-known Kennel Club judge assessing breeds such as English Springer Spaniels.
Lawler judged pooches at Crufts in March this year while being investigated by officials for selling expensive puppies.
The case follows that of Crufts-winning dog breeder Margaret Peacock, 69, who earlier this month was found guilty of failing to control her own dog which subsequently mauled a visitor.
Gareth Lawler, 57, judged at top dog show Crufts in March this year and was a well-known member of the Kennel Club
Lawler illegally bred 27 litters of puppies, making more than £150,000 in the process
Inspectors found dogs at his property were living ‘in poor conditions’ – and suspected he was running an illegal puppy breeding operation.
Officials then obtained a warrant to search his home in Hendy, Carmarthenshire, and discovered evidence of ‘large-scale’ illegal breeding.
Lawler was found to have bred 27 litters in just four years, with dogs selling for anywhere between £500 and £2,000 a time.
It is now known what breeds Lawler sold, but there are many photos of English Springer Spaniels on his social media accounts.
Lawler – who has been going to Crufts for more than 30 years – was also found to have made £153,000 from his illegal breeding business at Swansea Crown Court.
He has been ordered to repay £78,000 in three months or go to jail.
A judge ordered a 12-month custodial sentence if he doesn’t pay up – and a fine of £500 for unlicensed dog breeding.
The £78,000 sum would be confiscated from grandfather Lawler, now living in Monmouth, under the Proceeds of Crime Act at Swansea Crown Court.
His illegal breeding was discovered when Lawler applied for a new dog boarding licence after it lapsed.
Posts from Lawler’s social media accounts show he has a leading role in the English Springer Spaniel Club of Wales, and frequently share updates on his dog judging.
In one October post, Lawler wrote of the ‘responsibility’ of dog owners ‘at the top in their breeds’: ‘This pertains to those at the top in their breeds of dog.
‘You’re a leader so there are responsibilities, one of which is to care about others in your breed when they need it. If all work together the breed develops and gains a lot and so do the exhibitors!!!
‘Something both my mother and I have always believed.’
Lawler was ordered to repay £78,000 in three months or face a year behind bars and a £500 fine
Carmarthenshire Council wanted to search Lawler’s home ‘due to the unsatisfactory conditions his own dogs were being kept in and refusal to allow officers to access areas where other dogs and puppies were housed.’
A spokesman said: ‘The subsequent search and online investigations by Council Officers uncovered breeding dogs and puppies being kept in poor conditions as well as evidence of large-scale unlicensed dog breeding.
‘Twenty-seven litters were bred between 24th July 2016 and 22nd July 2020, 11 of which were bred in the last 12 months, despite being advised of current dog breeding regulations on more than one occasion.’
Cllr Aled Vaughan Owen, said: ‘I would like to praise the actions of our Animal Welfare team who uncovered unlicensed dog breeding, as well as dogs being kept in unacceptable conditions during an inspection which forms part of the dog boarding licensing procedure.
‘Mr Lawler is well-known on the dog show circuit, having judged English Springer Spaniels, Cocker Spaniels and Welsh Springer Spaniels at Kennel Club shows and this case indicates the importance of licenses for dog boarding and breeding, both of which are in place to protect the welfare of dogs.
‘The Council is committed to ensuring that breeders and boarders of dogs in Carmarthenshire follow the rules that are in place which ensure that breeding dogs, their puppies and those being boarded are being kept in proper conditions’.
The Kennel Club has been contacted for comment.
