Dog Trainer Convicted of Wolfdog's Death, Avoids Ban

A dog trainer from Chesterfield has been convicted of causing the death of an 18-month-old Tamaskan wolfdog left in his care, receiving a community sentence but avoiding a ban on keeping animals.

Daniel Fullwood, 29, was found guilty at Derby Crown Court in February of inflicting blunt force trauma on Freya, contrary to the Animal Welfare Act 2006. The incident occurred at his kennels on December 6, 2023, while Freya's owners were abroad on holiday. Fullwood, who had pleaded not guilty, was sentenced on April 10 to 120 hours of unpaid work. The judge declined to impose a disqualification order, citing the potential harm to other dogs in Fullwood's care.

Freya's owners had boarded her at the kennels on December 1 for lead training assistance. Five days later, they received a call informing them she had become unwell. Fullwood rushed her to a local veterinary surgery around 9:55 a.m., where staff attempted resuscitation for 20 minutes before declaring her dead. At the owners' request, a postmortem examination revealed multiple lacerations to her liver, consistent with a single forceful blow to the abdomen. No other injuries were noted. The findings prompted the owners to alert the...