Heartless puppy farmers who "bred a dog to death" and sold puppies on Gumtree were given a 10-year ban - amid dismay they were not banned for life. Samuel Ronald Hessin, 49, and his son Samuel Arthur Hessin, 22, of Balnamoon, Crossroads, Moray, kept 56 dogs, which were a mix of Staffies and Labradors, in filthy conditions.
Vets found the dogs suffering from respiratory and eye infections and eating food contaminated with faeces after a raid was carried out in September 2019. Two of the dogs rescued were pregnant, but one died during labour, which was believed to be her third pregnancy in a year - the litters meant animal rescue workers were caring for 78 dogs in total.
Adult dogs were found crammed into crates with little room to move and forced to sit in their own waste, many of the animals were visibly ill and kept in a poorly ventilated area which smelled strongly of ammonia. Three puppies named Tiree, Calla and Danna were suffering from chronic skin conditions.
