Perpetuating cruel trade in puppies

ATayside woman involved in the cruel trade in farmed puppies has been brought to justice. Jaimie Colquhoun travelled to Ireland and England to buy litters of young dogs.

She brought them to Dundee and advertised them online before selling them to new owners and handing them over in car parks.

Colquhoun denied any wrongdoing, but no right-minded person could have thought such arrangements were entirely above board.

The fact she realised she would be compared to Disney’s dog-killing villain Cruella de Vil when the truth was revealed showed she was well aware what she was doing.

Rightly, the sheriff presiding over the case remarked how serious the offences were and warned she may be banned from keeping animals.

She may not have bred the dogs herself but becoming a conduit for their sale did as much to perpetrate the evil trade.

The nauseating practice of forced breeding is dangerous for both bitches and puppies and is little more than a con by the sellers who are knowingly passing on dogs which will usually suffer health issues and cost far more in the long run than the saving made by buying from the black market.

Such traders should feel the full force of the law but the only way to shut down the illicit trade is to buy from reputable sources.

Sir, - I had to brake hard to avoid hitting a cyclist on a mini roundabout.

Instead of coming round the roundabout as the Highway Code (rule 188) states, he cut the roundabout and rode across my path.

To make matters worse, the cyclist gave me a middle-finger gesture and mouthed something at me.

While on the topic of cyclists, when driving around Fife and beyond I encounter many of them.

I am surprised at the high percentage who wear dark clothing when riding their bikes, often making them blend into the background.

The Highway Code (rule 59) states that cyclists should wear “light coloured or fluorescent clothing which helps other road users to see you in daylight and in poor light”. It also states that “reflective clothing and/ or accessories (belt, arm or ankle bands) should be worn in the dark”.

As a cyclist, motorcyclist and car driver myself, the last thing I want to do is to knock someone off their bike.

I merely suggest that cyclists should be aware of the potential dangers of being “invisible” on the road. Lastly, I wonder how many cyclists have ever read the Highway Code. It applies to all road users equally.