A puppy trader who falsified documents and made misleading claims to his customers has been given a suspended 21-month prison sentence and ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work following a prosecution by Staffordshire Trading Standards.
One of the puppies sold by Butler (image credit: Staffordshire Trading Standards)
Richard Butler (57), of Springfield Farm in Rugely, sourced puppies from across England and Wales and advertised them online. Between October 2015 and May 2018 he illegally sold around 500 puppies for about £500 each.
Despite knowing nothing about their pedigree, Butler told customers that the puppies were first litters or the offspring of family pets. He also falsified vaccination records and other documents.
Several of the animals he sold had congenital defects or serious infections, and some had to be put down.
Butler, who had previously been refused a licence to sell dogs because of conditions on his farm, pleaded guilty to three counts of dishonestly making false representation and one count of making or supplying articles for use in fraud.
Passing sentence on 6 September, Judge Kristina Montgomery described Butler as “greedy, selfish and unsympathetic”, and said he had caused extreme distress and emotional harm to those who had bought puppies from him.
Councillor Victoria Wilson, cabinet member for Trading Standards at Staffordshire County Council, commented: “Our animal health team work hard to make sure that good animal welfare is upheld. Where this isn’t the case, or fraudulent activity is identified, the service will take the necessary action.”
