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Student still in debt two years after buying dying pup from illegal pet trader
Student still in debt two years after buying dying pup from illegal pet trader

Daily Record

time3 days ago

  • Daily Record

Student still in debt two years after buying dying pup from illegal pet trader

The animal lover was one of many victims of Julie Taylor, 41, who fronted a sales operation for a criminal gang running a puppy farm. A Scots student is still in debt two years on from taking out a bank loan to save a dying pup's life after buying it from an illegal trader. The animal lover was one of many victims of Julie Taylor, 41, who fronted a sales operation for a criminal gang running a puppy farm. ‌ Like other dogs Taylor sold, schnauser pup Fawn died of parvovirus after a three-day battle for life. But even in that short time the new owner ran up more than £4000 in vet fees. ‌ Taylor, of Stewarton, Ayshire, narrowly avoided jail for running a 'cruel' and 'abhorrent' trade in pups. But the student victim still mourns the loss of her pup. She said: 'For less than a three-day visit, Fawn's treatment racked up nearly £4000 debt in vet bills. 'It was a £650 asking price for a sick puppy I loved and barely got to see and £100 in deep cleaning fees so other dogs were safe to enter my house.' She added: 'Not only did Julie Taylor kill that poor, innocent girl – she put me in heaps of debt that continues to grow due to interest rates.' The Record told last week how Taylor kept tiny pups in a filthy toilet that was covered in faeces, leading to the spread of diseases like giardia and deadly parvo. ‌ Several pups are known to have died, including one bought by police officer Elaine McArthur, whose evidence led to the SSPCA busting Taylor. The student said Taylor had taken her cash and presented Fawn as the offspring of a family pet. ‌ The victim said she bought the pup after seeing an ad on website Pets4homes. She added: 'About 24 hours later Fawn stopped eating and had diarrhoea.' The pup didn't eat or drink for two days but was violently sick. The victim said: 'She died in my arms in a cold kennel attached to wires and tubes soiled in her own diarrhoea scared and in pain.' She said: 'As soon as I saw the Record's story I knew it was Julie Taylor who sold me the pup, even though she used another girl's name on the Pets4Homes account.' Taylor was banned from keeping animals for 10 years and given a community payback order after pleading guilty to fronting the commercial end of a puppy farm.

Dog dumped in cage outside Dumbarton animal rescue centre as SSPCA launch appeal
Dog dumped in cage outside Dumbarton animal rescue centre as SSPCA launch appeal

Daily Record

time6 days ago

  • General
  • Daily Record

Dog dumped in cage outside Dumbarton animal rescue centre as SSPCA launch appeal

Staff at the SSPCA centre in Dumbarton are seeking the owner of a German Shepherd which was dumped outside the premises in a cage this week. Staff at an animal rescue centre showed up to work to discover a dog left abandoned in a cage outside the facility. The dog was dumped outside the Scottish SPCA'S Animal Rescue and Rehoming Centre in Dumbarton. ‌ The male German Shepherd was heartbreakingly left in his dog crate, with a blanket draped over the top of it at the facility in the Milton area of the town. ‌ Staff discovered him on Sunday, June 22 He was microchipped but the number was invalid, meaning that SSPCA officers have so far been unable to track down his owner. The SSPCA is now urging anyone who recognises the dog to contact them in confidence by calling 03000 999 999. The animal welfare charity's Milton base includes four dog kennels with exercise runs, a 28 unit cattery, space for seven rabbits, 10 units for small animals, four units for ferrets and eight vivariums of varying sizes for snakes and reptiles. The centre always welcomes donations of food, treats, or other items for the animals in its care. You can view what the team at Dunbartonshire and West of Scotland Centre urgently needs on the centre's Amazon Wishlist by clicking here.

Four dogs, hedgehog and snake found in 'shocking' house covered in faeces
Four dogs, hedgehog and snake found in 'shocking' house covered in faeces

STV News

time23-06-2025

  • STV News

Four dogs, hedgehog and snake found in 'shocking' house covered in faeces

A man who kept four dogs, a hedgehog, and a snake in 'shocking conditions' in his home has been banned from owning pets for four years. Scott Trist, from Inverness, pled guilty to failing to provide veterinary assessment and treatment for a hedgehog suffering from an obvious and painful eye condition. Investigators from the Scottish SPCA attended Trist's home in Whitebridge following a complaint to their helpline raising concerns about living conditions for dogs at the property, including a large amount of faeces in the rear garden. Trist refused to let officers enter or inspect the garden before a warrant was issued. Seven animals were rescued from 'almost inconceivable' conditions surrounded by faeces and urine at Trist's home in Whitebridge, on April 26 last year. Three dogs, a female German Shepherd cross, a female Dogue de Bordeaux cross, and a male Presa Canario type, were found living on a floor heavily soiled with dog excrement. SSPCA Hedgehog found by SSPCA inspectors A section of the room had been fenced off, forming a pen saturated with feces and urine, and a six-month-old female crossbreed puppy was discovered so frightened she was attempting to hide under a cabinet. A visibly underfed seven-foot boa constrictor was found in Trist's dog faeces-covered home, in an enclosure strewn with numerous dead, uneaten chicks. Officers also discovered an African pygmy hedgehog in a vivarium that lacked any form of heating or lighting, with no food inside. The animal had a visibly inflamed injury to her right eye and a noticeable lump on her front right leg. Trist was sentenced at Inverness Sheriff Court on Thursday, where he was given a four-year disqualification from owning or keeping animals and was also sentenced to 210 hours of unpaid community service. An SSPCA inspector report added: 'Upon entering the living room, we were met with overwhelming evidence of neglect. 'The garden was covered in dog faeces, and alongside the wall of the house were numerous black bin bags full of household waste and dog faeces. 'Upstairs, we found a small bedroom containing multiple reptile tanks. While most of the enclosures were empty, one large vivarium housed a boa constrictor measuring approximately seven feet in length. The snake was visibly underweight, and the enclosure was strewn with numerous dead, uneaten chicks. 'All animals were removed from the property under the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006. 'This case highlights the severe consequences of neglect and the suffering that animals endure when people fail to meet even the most basic standards of care. We are relieved these animals are now safe and are now in the homes they deserve.' If you are concerned about the welfare of an animal, please contact the Scottish SPCA confidential animal helpline on 03000 999 999. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country

Pet ban for Highland man who kept animals in 'appalling' conditions
Pet ban for Highland man who kept animals in 'appalling' conditions

Press and Journal

time23-06-2025

  • Press and Journal

Pet ban for Highland man who kept animals in 'appalling' conditions

A man has been banned from keeping pets for four years after seven animals were rescued from the 'almost inconceivable' conditions of his filthy home. Scott Trist, 35, neglected four dogs, a hedgehog, a snake, and a fish, Inverness Sheriff Court was told. Animal welfare charity the Scottish SPCA discovered an underfed 7ft boa constrictor in Trist's dog faeces-covered home. A catfish that Trist mistakenly thought was dead at the time but was actually alive lay in an empty fish tank. SSPCA inspectors uncovered the concerns at the property on Thain Road, Whitebridge, near Inverness, during a visit on April 26 last year, following a complaint from a member of the public. The court heard that, at first, Trist had refused the inspectors access to his home but eventually agreed to let them in. An African pygmy hedgehog was rescued from another tank that contained no lighting, heating, or food, and the animal had eye and leg injuries. 'These are appalling conditions,' Sheriff Gary Aitken commented, with Trist's defence lawyer, Duncan Henderson, agreeing. However, Mr Henderson asked Sheriff Aitken to treat his client's case as 'neglect and not active cruelty'. Mr Henderson added: 'He is struggling with his mental health, but the conditions should have been painfully obvious to him.' The lawyer representing the offender confirmed that there were no other animals in Trist's house, but said he drove his partner's three horses in a horsebox. Mr Henderson asked that any animal ban slapped on his client not be applied to transporting the horses, adding there were no concerns about their welfare. Trist pled guilty to three charges. They included: Trist, who now lives in Fichty, Farr, was ordered to carry out 210 hours of unpaid work in the community. 'It is almost inconceivable that anyone could live in conditions like this, let alone keep entirely dependent animals in these conditions and not realise anything was grossly wrong,' the sheriff told the offender. He was also given a stern warning that he would be jailed if he failed to complete the hours. 'You are very close to a prison sentence where you would be kept in a cage, except you would be fed and it kept clean,' Sheriff Aitken explained. 'If you were confined, then you would be kept in significantly better conditions than your animals.' Trist was also banned from keeping, caring for, or owning any animal for the next four years. However, he was allowed to continue transporting the horses. Reacting to the sentencing, an SSPCA spokesperson said Trist's case was an example of the 'severe consequences' of animal neglect. They added that during their search of Trist's property last year, inspectors found one of the dogs, a six-month-old puppy named Sadie, so frightened that she was 'desperately' attempting to hide. 'Upon entering the living room, we were met with overwhelming evidence of neglect,' they said. Since the visit, all of Trist's animals have been rehomed. 'We are relieved these animals are now safe and are now in the homes they deserve, ' the spokesperson added.

Victims of illegal puppy trader open up on heartbreak of desperate attempt to save dogs
Victims of illegal puppy trader open up on heartbreak of desperate attempt to save dogs

Daily Record

time20-06-2025

  • Daily Record

Victims of illegal puppy trader open up on heartbreak of desperate attempt to save dogs

New owners fell in love with defenceless pups and were immediately faced with a desperate fight for life - and huge vet bills. Victims of illegal puppy trader Julie Taylor have told how they battled to save the lives of their tiny dogs. The dog owners have spoken out after the SSPCA's Special Investigations Unit busted Taylor, who was running an unlicensed 'puppy shop' from a filthy home in Ayrshire. ‌ The Daily Record told yesterday how Taylor was branded 'cruel and abhorrent' and banned from keeping animals for ten years as she was nailed in court. ‌ We told how one dog died, leading the new owner - an off duty police officer - to call in the animal charity's SIU to bring Taylor to justice. Another dog lover to have a nightmare ordeal due to the appalling conditions Taylor was subjecting pups to was Gillian Linton, 35, from Clydebank. The civil servant told how she instantly fell in love with a tiny Spaniel she called Primrose. She ended up paying more than £2,000 in vet bills after forming a powerful bond with the tiny pup, which almost died but eventually pulled through. Gillian, who bought Primrose at Taylor's home in Stewarton on Christmas Eve, 2023, said: 'We were meant to be getting a Blenheim Spaniel but the pup turned out to be a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. ‌ 'When she was presented to us she was stinking and her tummy was distended. She was in a bad way. Julie said she had just been fed but alarm bells were ringing loudly. 'The wee dog dropped flat on the floor and started crawling along in a strange way. She was lost and distressed. 'I picked her up and she snuggled into my neck and I was probably committed to her from that point, with no way of going back because I just couldn't leave her there. ‌ 'I had to rescue her - and I can't help but wonder how many other dog lovers felt the same way with other pups. Gillian transferred £795 to Taylor on the spot. ‌ She said: 'I asked to use the bathroom upstairs and I could see the house wasn't normal, with big piles of stuff in rooms and flooring had been ripped up. I guessed it had just been transformed by the puppy farm trade that was going on. 'As soon as we got Primrose home she started to cough and she would stop breathing for a but then produce a hacking cough that was awful to watch. 'She was really ill and we thought she was going to die.' ‌ Gillian said she had to take Primrose to the vet on New Year's Day because she thought the pup would die otherwise. She said: 'She was full of worms and her ears were infected and foul smelling. She was a poor wee soul. ' ‌ Gillian added: 'Primrose is 18 months old and really good now - but that's a miracle after the start she had in life. 'To think that people have been mistreating defenceless pups so badly for quick cash makes me feel very sad and it's good that the SSPCA shut these people down.' Eleanor Sullivan, 66, also said she immediately felt a duty to rescue the Cavapoo pup - which she called Jax - due to its pitiful condition when shown it. ‌ Former school worker Eleanor, from Cumbernauld, said: 'Jax was a bit of a sorry state, with terrible ear mites and a cough but I had to rescue this defenceless animal. 'I had a dog cage at the bottom of my bed but when I locked the door the pup went mad, throwing himself at the cage door.' Eleanor said the dog looked 'lost' and behaved like it had never interacted with humans before. ‌ She said: 'It was shaking and looked terrified. It was obvious from the start that the pups weren't right and Jax looked a lot younger than the eight weeks Julie said she was. 'I also discovered that different adverts were appearing online, supposedly selling the same dogs but with different phone numbers. I think it was just a conveyor belt of pups. 'These people rely on people like me forming an instant attachment. They shouldn't be allowed to have anything to do with animals.' ‌ The Record told yesterday how PC Elaine McArthur's cockapoo pup Marley fought for life then died of deadly parvo virus, three days after leaving Taylor's home. Distraught mum Elaine turned the tables on Taylor by calling in SSPCA investigators, who raided the trader's home and shut the operation down. ‌ Taylor, 41, was caught red handed with 16 terrified dogs, of various breeds, being held in a filthy toilet and covered in dog waste. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Taylor admitted cruelty and operating without a licence, which saw her banned from keeping dogs for 10 years at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court. ‌ Taylor's defence lawyer Graeme Cunningham said he could not deny that she was the front of an 'abhorrent' puppy farm operation, where dogs were badly treated then sold on for large amounts of cash. Taylor was also given a Community Payback Order to include unpaid work of 240 hours. She will also face a Proceeds of Crime investigation and could have thousands of pounds clawed back.

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