Unlicensed pet shop owner convicted of selling imported puppies

An unlicensed pet shop owner has been sentenced for failing to ensure the needs of a protected animal. Alexandru-Constantin Ghita, of Old Reading, Harrow, was convicted of two counts of landing an animal, one count of trading an unlicensed pet shop and one count of failing to ensure the needs of a protected animal at Hendon Magistrates' Court on Thursday, 17 August 2017. He was sentenced on the same day and was banned from keeping any animals for five years and fined £3,335. On Sunday, 18 June police were called to an address in Waller Drive, Northwood, to reports of a suspected burglary in progress. Officers attended and found no evidence of a break but did discover six young puppies running loose in a cluttered garage with no natural light or water. The puppies, four French bulldogs and two pugs, were taken into police possession under the Animal Welfare Act. A veterinary surgeon determined they had originated from abroad and were under-age to have been lawfully imported. The case was referred to Animal Health Inspectors from the City of London Corporation who ordered that the puppies be placed into quarantine. Ghita, a Romanian national, brought the puppies into the country claiming they were gifts for his friends. However, the dogs were placed in adverts online offering them for sale. Ghita pleaded guilty to all counts and the dogs will now be re-homed through the Dogs Trust. Inspector Paddy O’Hara, of the Met’s Status Dog Unit, said: “Ghita kept these animals in poor conditions without any consideration for their needs. "We are pleased to see that they are now safe and will be re-homed by our colleagues at the Dogs Trust, who have homed them in their kennels at their own expense. We are very grateful. "Thanks to the ban handed down at court, Ghita is now prohibited from keeping any animal for five years. This conviction should serve as a warning to anyone who is trading animals illegally that the Met will investigate this criminal activity.” Paula Boyden, veterinary director for the Dogs Trust, said: “We are delighted to see that this case has resulted in a prosecution and hope this significant outcome will act as a deterrent to other criminals. "Our recent investigation into the puppy smuggling scandal has shown that sadly, three years after we first highlighted the issue, puppies are still being illegally imported via the Pet Travel Scheme and sold to unsuspecting consumers. "In 2015 we set up our Puppy Pilot scheme which has funded the quarantine costs of over 500 illegally imported puppies before responsibly re-homing them through our re-homing centres. We very much hope that pet travel legislation will be revised to ensure that this sickening trade is stopped.” Keith Bottomley, Deputy Chairman of the City Corporation’s Environmental Services Committee, said:“Importing and selling animals illegally is a crime we take very seriously. We will always enforce animal health and welfare legislation robustly. “By working collaboratively with the Metropolitan Police Service’s Taskforce, and with the expertise and powers of our Animal Health Officers, we have been able to investigate a broader range of offences than one agency could do alone.”