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136 J Maher et al dogs by their owners or by the state It must be noted that a number of positive and negative behaviours and functions for the dog were identified by youths in Maher and Pierpoint (2011) and Hughes et al (2011) studies In other words, both intrinsic and extrinsic roles were evident (see Beverland et al 2008) The intrinsic role—the dog as a loved companion—was commonly identified, though these dogs were still harmed by their owners The extrinsic roles identified—the dog as protection, weapon, plaything, or commodity—resulted in harms such as irresponsible breeding and ownership/husbandry, injuries from dog fighting, abandonment and destruction resulting from difficulties in rehoming or if found to conform to an illegal ‘breed’ Irresponsible Breeding At the height of the status dog trend, suitable puppies could fetch between £250 and £1000, making it a lucrative business for both the youth owners and the breeding sector as a whole Harms related to breeding were identified within the (1) licensed and legitimate breeding sector, (2) the unlicensed (and as such) illegal sphere which is increasingly linked to other organised criminality (Winter and Gutteridge 2015), and (3) the non-licensable— meaning those falling outside the legal criteria requiring a licence However, status dogs are predominately bred within the illegal and nonlicensable sectors often referred to as backstreet and ‘adhoc’ breeders—where puppies, as a commodity, are only valued if they fetch a price Breeding harms include: • Puppies born and kept in unsanitary conditions associated with ‘backstreet breeders’ • Puppies not provided with appropriate healthcare, for example, not vaccinated • Puppies removed from their mother too early resulting in both health and behavioural issues • Birthing problems as a result of a preference for larger cross-breeds—such as breeding small bitches with larger males which can result in suffering or death to the mother and puppies • Breeding of ‘banned’ types and selling them as legitimate breeds or crossbreeds When new owners or officials identify the breed, it often results in the dog being returned to the breeder, or the owner relinquishing or being required to relinquish them to officials