The dog who ate a stuffed crocodile, and other incredible stories from last time we tried to find Britain's naughtiest dog
Naughty dogs come in all shapes and sizes — as do their crimes and misdemeanours.


Country Life has teamed up with Lily's Kitchen to run a competition to find Britain's naughtiest dog.
If you think your pooch has what it takes to earn that title, you can find out how to enter here.
And to give you a flavour of the sort of thing your calamitous canine is up against, down below you can read the funniest stories of the winners from last time we ran the competition, back in 2015.
[COMPETITION: Nominate your four-legged friend for the title of Britain's Naughtiest Dog 2019]
2015's Overall winner: Rabbit
Heinz 57, Warminster, Wiltshire
Rabbit is an all-round mischief-maker and the deserved victor of our Britain’s Naughtiest Dog compeition in association with Lily's Kitchen. Crimes include destroying furniture, toys and pieces of clothing; chewing through £250 in cash; hitching lifts round the county in an Amazon delivery van and stealing bones from the next-door neighbour's dog.
Read more about Rabbit's mischief-making here
Exquisite houses, the beauty of Nature, and how to get the most from your life, straight to your inbox.
First runner-up: Woody
Labrador from Twickenham, Middlesex
Woody, or ASBO as his friends and family affectionately know him, has a stomach of steel and a knack for disaster. Aside from daily raids on the laundry basket and recycling bins and a taste for expensive dressage bridles, Woody caused a stir when he trotted up to an elegant Italian woman sitting on a park bench enjoying her peaceful afternoon and, quite inexplicably, peed on her.
Not especially fond of sleeping, Woody once embarked on a solo nighttime adventure during a camping trip, returning triumphantly to show off to his owners the decomposing salmon he had discovered on his travels. Disappointed that his owners were more intent on getting back to sleep than inspecting his piscatorial trophy, Woody dislodged the ropes and brought the tent crashing down on them all.
Second runner-up: Jolly
Dalmatian from London
For those dogs with a nose for adventure, cities are just big playgrounds and for Jolly, London will just about do. An experienced Underground traveller, Jolly once did a poo on the Piccadilly Line and she likes to puncture footballs in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea.
A pricey stuffed shark fell foul of Jolly’s jaws in an antiques shop, but her pièce de résistance must be the time when she bounded up to a bride being photographed in Hyde Park, leaving a trail of paw prints on her hitherto pristine white dress.
Best consumer winner: Buster
Labrador from Wareside, Hertfordshire
Buster was barred from ‘doggy day care’ after he ate a whole 20-year-old taxidermy crocodile.
Best consumer runner up: Boot
Collie-cross from Yelverton, Devon
He munched his way through an entire collection of books — all first editions, of course.
Best consumer highly commended: Mavis
Lurcher from Felpham, West Sussex
Mavis has gobbled up 6lb of raw pasta, the family hoard of Easter eggs and 21 human antibiotics.
Best escape artist winner: Ted
Irish water spaniel cross from Copthorne, West Sussex
Too impatient to wait for a door to be opened for him, Ted succeeded in bringing the entire cat flap with him when he charged through it.
Best escape artist runner up: Pushkash
Hungarian vizsla from Farnham, Surrey
Pushkash took himself off for a walk at a service station just off the M6 toll road near Birmingham. Fortunately, his owners realised, 30 minutes into their journey, that he wasn’t in the car and returned to collect him.
Best escape artist highly commended: Hamilton
Basset hound from Portree, Isle of Skye
Hamilton mounted his own pooch-led protest at being taken on a trip to the tip by locking his owner out of the car. When she broke in through the back-door window, he made a break for it and, with his spaniel partner-in-crime in tow, spent a thoroughly exciting afternoon refusing to be caught.
Most embarrassing winner: Toby
Springer spaniel from Tresco, Isles of Scilly
With a knack for selective hearing on shoot days, Toby bounded off to collect a bird of his choosing, which happened to be half a mile offshore. He brought the day to a standstill when the harbour master had to take his boat out to rescue him.
Most embarrassing runner up: Digby
Border terrier from Lympne, Kent
Digby made sure golfer Paul Casey didn’t have it too easy by stealing his ball from the 12th green just as Mr Casey was about to putt for a birdie at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at Kingsbarns in Scotland.
Most embarrassing highly commended: Dickens
Labrador from Fernhurst, West Sussex
Dickens gatecrashed a wedding, where he stole a bouquet and a guest’s shawl, before completing a few laps of honour around the venue.
Most destructive winner: Bryn
Greyhound cross from Great Preston, Leeds
Showing a flair for adventure, Bryn hopped up next to the kitchen sink and inadvertently turned the tap on, flooding the brand-new kitchen. Meanwhile, his tail almost caused a gas explosion when it hit the gas tap on the cooker.
Most destructive runner up: Custard
Labrador from Brington, Cambridgeshire
Custard took it upon himself to liven up a three-year-old’s birthday party by stealing a large kitchen knife from the worktop and chasing guests around with his prize.
Most destructive highly commended: Beetle
Cocker spaniel from Shrewsbury, Shropshire
Chewing through his lead enabled Beetle to run onto a school’s rugby pitch to show the players how it’s done. Despite much dodging and ducking, his game ended when one of the pupils’ fathers managed to tackle him to the ground.
We're searching for Britain's naughtiest dog — could it be yours?
It's four years since Country Life last sought out Britain’s Naughtiest Dog — and we're doing so again. Does yours
-
The life that thrives among the dead: How wildlife finds a home in the graveyards and churchyards of Britain
Home to a veritable ‘Noah’s Ark of species’, thanks to never being ploughed, sprayed or fertilised, our churchyards offer a sacred haven for flora and fauna, says Laura Parker.
-
‘What a shame when a dinosaur disappears into the mansion of an oligarch rather than being displayed for all to enjoy’: The ethics of the dinosaur auction
Fancy a stegosaurus in your living room? You can buy one at auction. But the latest luxury good is a paleontologist's worst nightmare.
-
West London's spent the last two decades as the laughing stock of the style set — here's how it got its groove back
The style set is returning to the very West London neighbourhoods it once made a habit of spurning, finds Will Hosie.
-
Peregrine falcons went to the edge of extinction in the 1960s — today, there are more of them than at any time since the Middle Ages
In the latest instalment of Mark Cocker's 'Winging it' column, he looks at the peregrine, a bird of prey with astonishing speed and super strength.
-
Rogue sellers and puppy farmers are exploiting Government licensing loopholes at the expense of responsible dog breeders, says The Kennel Club
The Kennel Club launched a report in the House of Commons last week calling for an urgent review of current licensing regulations.
-
Beyond Stonehenge: The ancient moorland megaliths and grand stone rings that you can enjoy without the tourist hordes
With their potent blend of wild looks and mystery, Britain’s ancient sites have an enduring magnetism — and there are far more of them than you might imagine.
-
40 miles of racket strings, 55,000 balls and 2.5 million strawberries: Wimbledon by the numbers
How many strawberries are consumed, how many petunias purchased and just how much racket string is required at the world’s oldest tennis championships? Lotte Brundle serves up the numbers.
-
Chatsworth's winning £4 million Lottery ticket means it can restore beloved water feature
The Chatsworth House Trust will use the money from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to restore their Cascade — beloved by Alan Titchmarsh.
-
Hope from the ashes: This new generation of ash trees is more resistant to dieback
When ash dieback first arrived in Britain, in 2012, an emergency COBRA meeting was formed. The disease has since spread rampantly across the countryside, but there is still hope.
-
From the Country Life archive: The 19th century answer to Swingball
Every Monday, Melanie Bryan, delves into the hidden depths of Country Life's extraordinary archive to bring you a long-forgotten story, photograph or advert.