Councillor admits he ran illegal puppy farm

ACONSERVATIVE councillor ran an illegal puppy breeding farm and allegedly passed off a deaf cross-breed dog as a healthy American XL Bully pup, a court heard.

Alastair Chambers, 41, bred and sold dogs from his farm in Gloucester, and when police raided his home officers found more than 25 dogs in tunnels and kennels.

Gloucestershire Magistrates’ Court heard Chambers, who is a Gloucester City Council and Gloucestershire County Council councillor, has admitted two Animal Welfare Act offences of breeding and selling dogs without a licence.

Mark Jackson, prosecuting, told the court that in July 2020 Gloucester City Council received a report from a member of the public alleging unlicensed dog breeding and puppy sales. The council wrote to Chambers and police executed a search warrant finding 25 to 30 dogs inside three “poly tunnel” style structures.

The court heard Chambers was later warned by the council he must not operate as a dog breeder until he had a licence. Mr Jackson said: “What’s also plain from the unchallenged evidence, is that the defendant was already holding himself out as a dog breeder and was advertising and selling puppies. He was doing so with no dog breeder’s licence and no pet shop licence.”

Chambers, of Manor Way, Quedgeley, Gloucester, is on trial accused of three fraud charges relating to the sale of a puppy called Casper to Shrece Share. It is alleged Chambers sold the animal after placing an online advert offering for sale an American Bully XL puppy. He allegedly told her it had been vaccinated and gave her a vaccination card from a local vet.

The court heard that in May 2020 Ms Share travelled to Chambers’ home to buy the puppy. After seeing the dog, Ms Share’s boyfriend transferred electronically £2,450 into Chambers’ bank account – with £50 knocked off because the puppy was not microchipped. Mr Jackson said the vaccination document purported to be from The Caldicott/Kingsway Veterinary Clinic and the dog had been vaccinated on a Sunday when the practice was closed.

The buyer later discovered the puppy was deaf and DNA tests showed it was in fact 75% Staffordshire Bull Terrier, 12.5% Akita and 12.5% Alaskan Malamute.

Mr Jackson said: “The prosecution say that representations made to Shrece Share were untrue, they were misleading, and the defendant was acting dishonestly.”

After learning the dog was deaf, her mother spoke with Chambers, and he offered a full refund for return of the animal. However Ms Share added: “As an animal lover, there was no way I was returning that dog.”

Giving evidence, Chambers accused the city council of being a “crooked council” for pursuing a case against him and not others he had named – suggesting no one was prosecuted for smuggling puppies into the country from Poland.

The court heard Chambers had been stopped by UK Border Force officials who found five puppies in a vehicle he was driving, for which he received a warning from the Kent local authority.

Chambers said Casper belonged to a friend, Shane Smart, and they had bought four puppies from a breeder in Wantage and believed they were American XL Bully dogs. He kept three and Mr Smart sold the other.

Chambers said the advert was placed by Mr Smart using Mr Smart’s contact details and the vet who vaccinated Casper was a friend who was on furlough from the veterinary practice at the time.

At the conclusion of the evidence, District Judge Nicholas Wattam said he would give his verdict on the three charges on June 30.

Chambers is a member of both Gloucester City Council and Gloucestershire County Council, and was elected last year to represent the Matson and Robinswood areas for the Conservative Party.

He currently sits as an independent member of both councils.