They just claim it arrived like that/its a rescue.
Tail docking is legal (er, not scotland I think) in England and Wales if the dog is one of a short list of breeds that may be used for gundog or pest control. The owner/breeder would have to have a particular form of proof that the puppy would be or would likely be a working dog, and the dock done by a vet.
So this accounts for the terriers and spaniels. However not the Dobermans, Rotties, Giant Schnauzers etc.
Ear Cropping has been outlawed/illegal in the UK for around 200 years though the proper legislation was only tightened up relatively recently.
However you can still legally import an ear cropped dog, something that was going to be sorted with a ban, that the Tories threw out with the rest of the revised Kept Animals bill a few years back.
Because you can circumvent the rules by importing or by claiming you imported... people are getting away with illegal cropping in the UK.
It is disgusting, often done with scissors on a kitchen table and leaves puppies in agony for weeks or months as it heals (as anyone who has ever torn or injured ear cartilage will know... it can hurt for YEARS). This is particularly bad when you consider that ongoing acute pain around their heads coincides with their early socialisation/habituation window, in the first months of their lives!