A MAN has been sentenced to 270 hours of community service following a puppy dealing investigation by the Scottish SPCA.
A female accomplice has also been handed a three-month restriction of liberty order for selling the pups from her home address without a licence.
Several of the puppies sold by 32-year old Marco Tondo and 31-year old Nadine Campbell became ill and two subsequently died.
Tondo and Campbell plead guilty to selling the puppies without a pet shop licence contrary to the Pet Animals Act 1951. Tondo also plead guilty to causing unnecessary suffering by failing to provide care contrary to the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006.
A Scottish SPCA undercover special investigation unit (SIU) inspector welcomed the court's judgement but "would have liked to see Tondo given a ban on owning or keeping animals".
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They added: "His disregard for the welfare of numerous dogs led to several puppies becoming unwell and, in two sorry cases, passing away.
“We became aware of Tondo and Campbell following reports by concerned members of the public who had purchased puppies from them that had subsequently become very ill and, sadly in two instances, passed away.
“Working on intelligence we were able to determine that both of the accused were supplied puppies from an unidentified puppy dealer, but failed to keep any form of register of sales carried out."
They said the pups came from suspected puppy dealers who "are driven by profit and often have no regard for animal welfare".
The inspector added: “Not only did they put the dogs in their care at risk but due to the contagious nature of the diseases the puppies had, they put domestic dogs in Scotland at great risk.
“This has been heart-breaking for the families who bought the puppies from the couple. Not only did it result in large veterinary bills, but also a lot of stress and heartache.
“Tondo has overlooked the most basic welfare standards in order that they can profit at the expense of these animals.
“The onus is on the public to do their homework before buying a pup. The only way we can stop the horrific puppy trade is for people to say no to puppy dealers and buy or adopt responsibly.”
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