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The sad tale of the Surrey puppy farm
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A Surrey puppy farmer prosecuted for illegal breeding is still
selling sick animals to unsuspecting families, an undercover
investigation by ´óÏó´«Ã½ South's Inside Out programme has discovered.
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Presenter Joe Crowley went undercover to investigate John Lowe –
a Farnham puppy farmer with a long history of selling sick
puppies.
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Inside Out first met Mr Lowe in 2004, when he was shown
breeding scores of dogs at his premises and selling puppies in
poor condition to unsuspecting members of the public.
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Many
puppies fell ill within days of leaving the kennels and several
died.
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Following Inside Out's first report Mr Lowe, of Keepers Cottage
Stud near Farnham, lost his licence to breed puppies.
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A year
later he appeared before Guildford Magistrates and pleaded guilty
to a number of offences including breeding dogs without a
licence.
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He was disqualified from keeping a breeding
establishment for two years, fined a total of £1,600 and ordered
to pay costs of £2,410.
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But Inside Out has discovered John Lowe is continuing with his
lucrative trade and offering several breeds of dogs for sale from
the same premises.
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Samantha and Richard West, of Fareham in Hampshire, bought a 12-week-old beagle puppy from John Lowe in August this year.
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Within
days the dog – who they named Lily – became seriously ill. A test
showed she had the lethal parvo virus and within days she was
dead.
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The West's two children were devastated and the couple
ended up paying almost £900 in vet's fees.
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Mrs West told Inside Out: "I'm angry as he shouldn't be able to get away with it. He has
put us through hell and the puppy didn't deserve it. He's not
even supposed to be selling puppies.
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"The farm was filthy but we were desperate to buy one. We were
silly, we bought it on the spur of the moment. We thought we could
take her away from there and give her a better life but that
didn't happen."
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Patrick Philips and his girlfriend bought a beagle puppy from Mr
Lowe in April this year.
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The dog fell ill within an hour of them getting him home and
spent several days at the vet's on a drip. The puppy was found to
have lice, fleas, bronchial pneumonia and parvo virus.
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In the end
the couple took the heartbreaking decision to have him put to
sleep to bring an end to his suffering.
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Katie Cleeves, of Felpham in West Sussex, went through a similar
experience. She visited Keepers Cottage Stud after seeing an
advertisement in a local paper in October 2006.
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She bought Millie, a chocolate Labrador puppy, from John Lowe for £295.
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Three days later the puppy fell ill. The vet suspected
parvo virus and decided that Millie should be put down.
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Mrs Cleeves said:
"She was in such a state. She was suffering so much it was
horrible to see. It's not something you forget."
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Certainly her daughter, Amy, who was three at the time, hasn't
forgotten.
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Mrs Cleeves said: "She still talks about Millie now. She tells people we used to
have a puppy but she's in heaven now. She came from a bad man who
didn't give her injections."
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Inside Out South's Joe Crowley said:
"The conditions that some of these puppies are kept in
are beyond belief. The only way we can stop this trade is for
people not to buy these animals.
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"The advice we were given is that
you should never to buy a puppy simply because you feel sorry for
it. The dog you take home will simply be replaced by another and
all you'll be doing is keeping the rogue breeder in business."
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You can see the full story of the Surrey puppy farm on Inside
Out, ´óÏó´«Ã½ One South, 7.30pm, Wednesday 1 October 2008. Or, visit ´óÏó´«Ã½ iPlayer at bbc.co.uk/iplayer.
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Notes to Editors
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The RSPCA recommends the following:
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1. Always see the puppy with its mother in the place where
the puppy was bred.
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2. Find out as much as you can about the puppy's background
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3. Always ask to see a vaccination card – puppies should
receive their first
vaccinations before they leave their mother.
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Other advice suggests contacting the relevant breed societies in
order to find a reputable breeder. Most breeders will have the
mother and litter within their own home. They also say people
should be able to handle and play with the puppies in order to
assess their character before buying.
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HB
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