DOG BREEDER’S £50,000 PUPPY SCAM
ADOG breeder made £50,000 by selling puppies illegally after telling customers they were buying a certain breed and actually selling them a completely different one.
Cardiff Crown Court heard Lisa Canning, 50, was also a front for puppy farms and bred dogs more often than she should have done and when they were too young.
Lee Reynolds, prosecuting, said: “She traded unlawfully for a significant period of time.”
The court heard she ran a dogbreeding business called 4 Small Paws and was the sole director of the company behind it, which was called LCJ Kennels.
Prosecutors said the business was originally based at Railway Cottages in East Aberthaw, Barry, but moved to Mount Pleasant Farm, which was not a licensed address.
Mr Reynolds said: “The business knowingly and deliberately breached its dog-breeding licence requirements.”
The court heard she placed 266 adverts between June 2013 and October 2016 on sites including Pets4Homes, Gumtree, and Preloved.
Prosecutors said she sold about 100 dogs – three times as many as she should have done – for about £500 each, generating £50,000.
Mr Reynolds said she bred dogs when they were too young, with some being less than a year old.
The court heard she advertised dogs for sale she did not have as “bait advertising” to lure potential customers in, hoping they would buy another dog.
She created the impression she bred all the dogs herself but she actually sold on behalf of puppy farms in west Wales.
Mr Reynolds said she claimed the puppies had been brought up around children and that they had full vaccination records.
He added: “She simply did not know the history of many of the puppies she was selling.”
Prosecutors described her recordkeeping as “utterly chaotic”.
The court heard Beth Williams was a carer for a local authority and had a very specific list of dogs she was allowed.
She decided to buy a labrador and saw an advert on Preloved for a three-month-old golden labrador puppy. Prosecutors said she paid £450 for the dog, but quickly noticed its ears were longer than she was expecting and its neck was thinner.
The court heard it looked as though the animal’s vaccination card had been “tampered with”, as if someone had changed the word cocker to look like golden.
She took her dog to the vet and a DNA test revealed it was 50% cocker spaniel, 37.5% labrador, and 12.5% golden retriever.
Georgina Godsland visited Canning in May 2016 and paid £650 for a puppy. She was not given any paperwork and was told three different dates of birth for the animal.
Jayne Chandler researched dog breeds and decided she wanted a cockapoo based on the breed’s size and temperament.
She saw an advert on Pets4Homes and contacted Canning, then visited and paid £650 in cash for a puppy.
Prosecutors said Ms Chandler asked about progressive retinal atrophy – an eye condition the breed is prone to.
The defendant said the puppy’s parents had been tested but Ms Chandler never received the certificate or any other paperwork.
She started to become concerned the dog was not a cockapoo, and a DNA test revealed it was 50% bichon frise with no trace of cocker spaniel.
Tracy Oatridge also saw an advert on Pets4Homes for cockapoo puppies, and paid £470 in cash.
She became concerned after speaking to her neighbour, who also bought a dog from Canning, because they were told their dogs, from different litters, had the same dates of birth. Prosecutors said the defendant invented the details and subsequent DNA tests revealed the puppy was part-miniature poodle, part-toy poodle, and part-bichon frise.
Mr Reynolds said an investigation began in October 2016 and Canning said she had contacted the local authority about how many dogs she was allowed.
The court heard she was a licensed breeder, known to the council, and had a licence for December 2015 to December 2016.
Prosecutors said she was the registered owner of only seven out of 14 dogs found at the premises. Officers removed the dogs and took them to Hope Rescue. The defendant was arrested and accepted having more litters than she was allowed.
Canning, of Railway Cottages in Aberthaw, admitted unfair commercial practice and four counts of fraud.
Nigel Fryer, defending, said: “She allowed the situation to get out of control.”
In his sentencing remarks Judge Thomas Crowther QC said: “You ran that business in a way that was calculated to defraud the public.”
He added: “You played on people’s emotions. Almost everyone is vulnerable to the charms of a puppy.”
Canning was given a 30-week jail term, suspended for two years, and ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work. She must pay compensation and costs.