Heartless puppy farmers who "bred a dog to death" and sold puppies on Gumtree were given a 10-year ban - amid dismay they were not banned for life. Samuel Ronald Hessin, 49, and his son Samuel Arthur Hessin, 22, of Balnamoon, Crossroads, Moray, kept 56 dogs, which were a mix of Staffies and Labradors, in filthy conditions.
Vets found the dogs suffering from respiratory and eye infections and eating food contaminated with faeces after a raid was carried out in September 2019. Two of the dogs rescued were pregnant, but one died during labour, which was believed to be her third pregnancy in a year - the litters meant animal rescue workers were caring for 78 dogs in total.
Adult dogs were found crammed into crates with little room to move and forced to sit in their own waste, many of the animals were visibly ill and kept in a poorly ventilated area which smelled strongly of ammonia. Three puppies named Tiree, Calla and Danna were suffering from chronic skin conditions.
Danna also suffered from an eye condition, which required surgery. Another dog, Scarba, was suffering from fractured teeth, an infected neck laceration and an ear mite infestation.
The puppy farmers previously pleaded guilty to failing to provide veterinary treatment or a suitable living environment for the dogs, at Elgin Sheriff Court on June 6. Investigations found Samuel Arthur Hessin used 18 aliases and mobile numbers, 11 email addresses and three separate locations to dupe buyers into thinking they were buying pets from a family home between December 3, 2018, and September 19, 2019.
On July 7 the pair were given a 10-year ban owning dogs and ordered to serve 300 hours of community service.
Scottish SPCA chief superintendent Mike Flynn said: “Securing a conviction is a great result, but we believe anyone convicted of running a puppy farm should get a life ban on owning animals. Individuals prepared to put profit before welfare to an extent that dogs get seriously ill should not be allowed to keep animals.”
The Scottish SPCA was alerted to the dogs by Moray Council’s Trading Standards team after suspicious adverts were spotted on Gumtree. Police Scotland, the Scottish SPCA and Moray Council executed a warrant at the property in September 2019. The breeders gave up most of the dogs to Moray Council officials a month after the raid, but kept four.
A Scottish SPCA special investigations unit inspector involved in the case said: “These dogs were kept in horrendous conditions, which were ripe for causing horrific disease and suffering. After we seized them, vets found many were suffering from a host of skin, eye and respiratory diseases.
"Many dogs were carrying wounds consistent with kennel fights and we are in no doubt this was due to the stress caused by the conditions these poor animals were kept in. The stench of urine, lack of proper bedding and the amount of faeces on the floors and even in amongst what small amount of food was out, clearly showed there was no regard for the welfare of these dogs.
"All of this, combined with the lack of ventilation, meant disease spread with ease among these poor animals. This site was clearly a low-welfare puppy farm.
“Two of the female dogs were pregnant when they came in to our care. Sadly, the birth was just too much for one of them and she passed away during labour.
"We believe she had been badly overbred and it was her third litter in just one year. Thankfully, due to the care and dedication of our animal care teams we were able to successfully rehabilitate the remaining dogs and find them loving homes. Unfortunately, as long as there is a demand for puppies online this problem will only continue to grow and dogs will continue to suffer."
Andy Shanks, Procurator Fiscal for Grampian, Highland and Islands, said: “This was a case of widespread and indiscriminate neglect where dogs and puppies were caused suffering and pain by Samuel Ronald Hessin and Samuel Arthur Hessin. I would like to thank the Scottish SPCA, Moray Trading Standards and Police Scotland for their part in investigating and gathering evidence of these offences.
“We expect the highest standards of commercial dog breeders and are committed to working with enforcing authorities to ensure that those who do not meet these standards are held to account.”
