Guilty should pay for our best friends

THE nation’s approach to animal welfare needs to be looked at again.

The authorities had to step in to save several dozen puppies kept in inhumane conditions in Airdrie.

The cost of doing this is a £375,000 bill – a large chunk of which has gone towards veterinary care. Who pays for that? You do. The person guilty of causing all this misery was fined only £500.

It doesn’t look like justice. It looks even worse when the man is discovered to have significant assets, more than enough to pay the bills.

The Sunday Post has been at the forefront of exposing “puppy farms” like this.

We have seen some terrible sights. The dogs suffer and families who buy the dogs undergo heartbreak at having an unhealthy pet, as well as significant vets’ bills.

There are too many unscrupulous dealers making a lot of money in this heartless industry.

It’s time for a crackdown. It’s time for true deterrents to be put in place. It’s time for far-reaching punishments to be meted out.

At the very least, the cost of caring for dogs’ suffering should be extracted from these criminals.

The old adage calls dogs “man’s best friend”. It is our duty to protect our friends properly – and for those who treat them badly to pay up.