Ten-year ban for Gumtree puppy farmers
A FATHER and son have been banned from keeping dogs for ten years after keeping more than 50 animals in ‘horrendous’ conditions on a puppy farm.
Samuel Ronald Hessin, 49, pictured, and his son Samuel Arthur Hessin, 22, kept dozens of dogs, many suffering skin, eye and respiratory diseases.
The cruelty came to light when police and animal welfare officers raided their property near Keith, Moray, in 2019.
A total of 56 dogs were seized during the raid, but two were pregnant and the Scottish SPCA ended up caring for 78 dogs. One died after giving birth following what was believed to be her third pregnancy in a single year.
The pair previously pleaded guilty at Elgin Sheriff Court to failing to provide veterinary treatment or a suitable living environment for the dogs.
On Thursday, they were sentenced to 300 hours of community service and banned from keeping dogs for a decade.
The dogs involved in the case were a mixture of breeds, including Staffordshire bull terriers and labradors.
The Scottish SPCA was alerted by Moray Council’s trading standards team after suspicious adverts were spotted on popular selling site Gumtree.
Alongside Police Scotland, the Scottish SPCA and Moray Council executed a warrant at the property in September 2019.
Scottish SPCA chief superintendent Mike Flynn said: ‘The dogs were kept in horrendous conditions which were ripe for causing horrific disease and suffering. Securing a conviction is a great result, but we believe anyone convicted of running a puppy farm should get a life ban on owning animals. Individuals prepared to put profit before welfare to an extent that dogs get seriously ill should not be allowed to keep animals.’
Andy Shanks, procurator fiscal for Grampian, Highland and Islands, said: ‘We expect the highest standards of commercial dog breeders and are committed to working with enforcing authorities to ensure that those who do not meet these standards are held to account.’
Earlier this year, the Ulster Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals estimated that as many as 37,000 illegally bred pups are being brought from the Republic of Ireland to Scotland via Northern Ireland every year, an illicit trade that rakes in £15million from unsuspecting Scots.