One more victim of vile pup farms

Here’s one little reason why we need Lucy’s Law. This helpless bundle of fur is one of 16 puppies found last week in a horse trailer in Galway and destined to be sold in Britain.

They were all emaciated and suffering from fleas, lice and roundworm and at least one had the usually fatal parvovirus.

Irish dog rescue charity Madra named the survivors after superhero characters, and this little creature was called Groot.

Eight of the 16 were so poorly that they have since died, little Groot among them.

Lucy’s Law aims to stop this heartbreaking trade by banning the sale of puppies by pet shops and other third party dealers.

This will cut the route to market used by commercial puppy farmers like those who bred Groot.

“We’re utterly devastated,” tweeted Madra after he died on Sunday.

“We’ll keep fighting for the remaining eight pups though, that’s all we can do. We really don’t want their deaths to be in vain.

“This needless suffering has to stop. #adoptdontshop.”

The puppy export trade in Ireland is rampant, says Madra manager Jonathan King, adding: “Thousands of dogs are bred solely for this purpose every year.”

PS: In happier news, a vet behind a £2.5million puppy farming fraud who escaped jail is now behind bars.

Daniel Doherty, 50, provided forged paperwork for a gang which sold 4,500 puppies, claiming they came from loving family homes when in fact they were imported from callous commercial breeders in Ireland.

The Appeal Court last week ruled his suspended sentence unduly lenient and increased it to three years and six months inside. Three other gang members had their sentences increased.

Solicitor General Robert Buckland said: “This group not only subjected thousands of puppies to atrocious living conditions, but also caused immense distress to families who had to watch their new pets suffer from serious illness.

“I am pleased that the Court of Appeal has today agreed to increase all four sentences, and hope this will bring some comfort to the victims of their crimes.” BANGED UP Vet Doherty DEAD Groot was too sick to survive