A father and son have been banned from owning dogs for a decade after a multi-agency operation discovered a horrific puppy farm in which the animals were kept in filthy and squalid conditions.
Samuel Ronald Hessin, 49, and Samuel Arthur Hessin, 22, pled guilty to failing to provide veterinary treatment or suitable living conditions at Elgin Sheriff Court, after inspectors found 56 dogs suffering from disease and a host of problems at the site in September 2019.
The two men, from Crossroads, near Keith in Moray, were banned from owning dogs for a decade and handed 300 hours of community service after the in-demand Staffordshire bull terriers and Labradors were seized in a joint Moray Council, Police Scotland and Scottish SPCA operation.
Officials became concerned after Trading Standards alerted the SSPCA about "suspicious" adverts on the popular selling site Gumtree.
Following the raid, the animal welfare charity ended up looking after 78 dogs in total. SSPCA workers say that no regard was shown for the animals' welfare, with many being found with eye, skin and respiratory diseases caused by faecal matter and urine covering the living space. The dogs were also said to be left with little food or ventilation.
Two of the dogs seized were pregnant at the time, with one sadly passing away while giving birth at an SSPCA rescue centre. The animal charity believes that poor living conditions and overbreeding contributed to the dog's death, with animal care experts indicating that it was the dog's third pregnancy of the year.
All of the remaining dogs have since been rehomed with loving families.
An SSPCA 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."
However they have raised concerns about the sentence, stating that they believe that those running puppy farms should be banned from keeping animals for life.
SSPCA 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 animal welfare group are urging the public to contact the group's confidential animal helpline on 03000 999 999 to report any individuals or activity that they believe to be connected with the trade.
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