A PET OWNER who tried to illegally sell pitbull-type puppies on the internet is warning others not to make the same mistake.

Daniel Lomas has been ordered by Bolton Magistrates to destroy eight of the 10 puppies he put up for sale on social networking website, Facebook.

One of the puppies has since died and the 18-year-old of Dorset Street, The Haulgh, was allowed to keep one of the puppies — Marley — and the dogs’ mother, Cheeno.

And now Mr Lomas has joined forces with the police to urge other dog owners to make sure they obey the law.

He said: “I have never been in trouble with the police before so having my house searched and being in court was horrible. But putting the puppies on Facebook was silly.

“I wanted the puppies to go to good homes, but you can never guarantee that other people would care for them as well as I would.”

Mr Lomas admitted charges of keeping, breeding and selling dogs contrary to the Dangerous Dogs Act and was given a conditional discharge.

During the court hearing, chairman of the bench Valeria Whittle said: “When considering these cases, we have to take into account the damage these kinds of breeds can do to people, as we have seen in media reports in recent years.”

In 2007, five-year-old Ellie Lawrenson was killed and her grandmother Jackie Simpson was seriously injured by a pitbull terrier in Liverpool.

Inspector Phil Spurgeon, of Bolton Police, said: “Cheeno is a good example of a friendly dog, but if raised the wrong way, these dogs can become a real threat to people’s safety.”

Mr Lomas added: “I am lucky in that I have been allowed to keep two dogs, but other people caught trying to sell breeds on the internet or anywhere else might not be so lucky.”

He said he would now follow a court order to get Cheeno and Marley neutered, insured and tattooed.