Puppies’ ordeal
Dogs kept in freezing filth by rogue breeder
A FRIGHTENED pug cowers in a plastic tub in a squalid pen at a puppy breeder’s home.
Named Phoebe, she was found by RSPCA inspectors who raided Rocky Knight’s premises after complaints from seven people who had bought puppies from him that later became ill and died.
He had passed himself off as a reputable breeder when he advertised online but kept his animals in ‘inhumane’ conditions in dank outhouses with no bedding. Inspectors also discovered a dead puppy wrapped in a plastic bag at his house.
Knight, 36, was sentenced to 16 weeks in prison after pleading guilty to
causing unnecessary suffering to puppies and exposing them to substandard living conditions and disease. He was also disqualified from keeping animals for life when he appeared at Bolton Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday.
RSPCA inspector Pippa Boyd, who led the investigation, said: ‘ We had complaints from members of the public who had bought sick puppies, most of which were Jack Russell terrier cross poodles. Tragically, seven of those puppies died.’
During a search of Knight’s home in Bolton, Greater Manchester, officers found Phoebe the pug and a dachshund crossbreed named Patsy in makeshift pens in an outbuilding.
‘We found Patsy and Phoebe living in horrendous conditions in dark, dank and cold pens with no warm bedding or dry areas off the hard floor,’ said Miss Boyd.
‘It was a completely inhumane environment to keep dogs. Thankfully, we got to them in time. They were incredibly itchy and Phoebe had serious breathing problems. ‘Sadly, we were too late for some, including a little puppy whose body we found wrapped in a plastic bag at the house.’ During an earlier court appear- ance, Knight signed two-year-old Patsy and three-year-old Phoebe over to the RSPCA. The dogs are being cared for at the charity’s Warrington branch, but new homes have been found for them.
Miss Boyd said: ‘Knight told buyers he would take the puppy to them to do a home check. People thought he really cared where his puppies were going.
‘The reality is that he didn’t want people to know where he lived or to see the conditions he kept his dogs in.
‘He offered to deliver puppies to new owners or arranged to meet them in car parks away from his home. This should be a major flag to anybody buying a puppy.’
The case comes after MPs called in Parliament for the introduction of ‘Lucy’s Law’ – named after a cavalier spaniel rescued from a puppy farm cage – that will make it illegal to sell puppies unless their mother is present. Sellers would also have to allow potential buyers on to their premises, meaning they will have to ensure proper conditions or risk being exposed.
Launching the campaign this week, Scottish National Party MP Lisa Cameron said: ‘Lucy’s Law will go a long way towards eradicating the unacceptable activity of puppy farming, smuggling and most forms of irresponsible dog breeding and selling.’
Last month Environment Secretary Michael Gove promised to take action over puppy smuggling after Britain leaves the EU, saying Brussels’ animal welfare laws failed to stop a cruel trade.
His comments came after warnings that a record number of puppies and pregnant dogs would be trafficked across the Channel this Christmas to meet demand.
‘Completely inhumane’