A young mother who raked in up to £38,000 after setting up an unlicensed puppy trading business was forced out of her home twice due to abuse, a court has heard.
WHAT HAPPENED?
Tonicha Grady, 28, admitted at Carlisle Magistrates’ Court to running a business in which she sold Staffordshire bull terriers for £2,000 each, claiming to be a licenced breeder on social media and on a website used for buying and selling cats and dogs.
Animal welfare experts say that licensing is vital to protect dogs from unscrupulous breeders who avoid veterinary checks for health and ‘overbreeding’ – when a bitch is forced to have too many litters.
Grady, of Carlisle, Cumbria, advertised the puppies on a website called Pets4Homes, a leading UK marketplace for dogs, puppies and kittens.
COURT HEARD
The court heard how on three occasions, Grady advertised and sold puppies without having a licence, although on each occasion her ads falsely claimed that she did, which misled customers.
Tariq Khawam, defending, told Carlisle Magistrates’ Court that Grady had to leave her address on two occasions because of abuse.
He also said the defendant ‘never directly went out to deceive,’ and explained she had acquired £15,000 of debt following a relationship breakdown.
He added there were never any complaints about the puppies she supplied and she gave the dogs everything they needed.
District Judge John Temperley accepted that there was no evidence of harm to the puppies and one reference referred to the ‘care and love’ she had lavished on the puppy supplied to one of her customers.
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SHE WAS FINED REGARDLESS
But she was still fined £300, with a £34 surcharge, and costs of £300 as the offence went on for almost two years, he said.
Jonathan Farnworth, prosecuting for Cumberland Council, told the court that Grady had previously paid the £430 for the local authority licence that allowed her to trade.
The licence, which she had allowed to lapse, meant the dogs and their accommodation was checked by an approved vet to ensure there were no health or welfare issues.
Grady continued to sell the terrier puppies illegally between February 1 of 2022 and January 8 of this year, said Mr Farnworth.
