Lancashire Puppy farmer making £12,000 a month avoids jail
He sold sick puppies for up to £900 each
Last updated 13th Oct 2017
A Lancashire puppy farmer has avoided jail and been disqualified from keeping animals for 5 years.
Robert Fishwick, of Burton Lane in Broughton, pleaded guilty to five offences under the Animal Welfare Act.
As well as his ban, he was handed a 17-week custodial sentence, suspended for 22 months.
The RSPCA launched an investigation into the puppy dealer after a number of complaints from his customers reporting sick puppies.
RSPCA officers and Lancashire Police raided the farm in Preston back in March and found 13 dogs being kept in unsuitable conditions, which it's thought were being used for breeding.
RSPCA inspector Carl Larsson said:
“All the dogs were being kept in filthy, damp conditions - some in makeshift, muddy outside runs and others in cold, concrete pens inside outbuildings.
“Several of the dogs were considerably underweight with their ribs clearly visible while others had serious health problems such as skin conditions and ear infections.
“We also found paperwork at the property which showed the scale of Mr Fishwick’s puppy-selling operation. Just one receipt book which was seized detailed sales covering a period of four months and totalling more than £50,000 meaning he was making around £12,000 a month from selling dogs.”
Sadly, two French bulldogs and one German shepherd had to be put to sleep on veterinary advice as they had chronic health problems, which were not responding to treatment.
The other dogs were all treated for health problems and assessed before being put up for rehoming.