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The Scottish SPCA has reported a spike in concerns of rogue sellers with the Record reporting on cases including Sean McDonagh, Stephen and Hazel Hamilton, and Jamie-Lee Harper.
There has been a “majorly concerning” spike in dog owners who believe their pets may be linked to recently convicted puppy farm dealers, an animal welfare charity has warned. The Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SSPCA) is urging the public not to underestimate the scale of the “heartless” low-welfare puppy trade.
In recent months, the charity’s animal helpline has recorded a spike in reports from concerned owners who believe their puppies may be linked to notorious and prolific sellers already known to the SSPCA. These puppies often display concerning health issues costing owners thousands in vet bills or even resulting in the puppy’s death.
These rogue sellers – who have created havoc in the lives of animal lovers across Scotland – include Sean McDonagh, Stephen and Hazel Hamilton, and Jamie-Lee Harper. The Record has reported on all of these individuals within the last year.
In January this year, millionaire farmers Stephen and Hazel Hamilton were found guilty of neglecting four dogs at their unlicensed puppy farm while raking in £100,000. They were ordered to carry out unpaid work and banned from owning or keeping any animals other than their family dog for a period of five years.
The pair were also admonished for running the puppy farm without having a breeder’s licence. Meanwhile Paisley Sheriff Court heard last year how McDonagh, from Omagh, Northern Ireland, drove around Scottish towns offloading dogs riddled with disease to unsuspecting buyers he targeted online.
The 26-year-old pleaded guilty to six charges and received a six year ban on keeping animals. Other dogs were also found to have been ill and mistreated after being traded by McDonagh in September 2024.
And in November 2022, 22 dogs belonging to Jamie-Lee Harper were found matted and dirty and left to sleep on concrete floors in damp bedding surrounded by faeces and rats at Acre Farm in Glenboig, North Lanarkshire. The 36-year-old pled guilty to charges of causing unnecessary neglect and suffering to animals between September 1 and November 24, 2022.
She was spared jail and was banned from keeping dogs for three years. But she was allowed to continue caring for horses at the farm where she has worked for 16 years.
A SSPCA Special Investigations Unit Inspector said: “The recent cases have understandably raised concerns among puppy owners, but it is important for the public to understand that the low-welfare puppy trade does not begin and end with one individual.
“This is a highly profitable criminal activity that often involves networks of breeders and dealers working together. While awareness is growing, many of these puppy dealers are still operating today, which is why public vigilance is so important in helping us tackle the issue.”
The trade operates through organised criminal networks involving multiple breeders, dealers and transporters, many of whom are still trying to sell these often very unwell puppies to families. The SSPCA has received 2,143 calls to its helpline relating to such operations over the past five years. Inspectors are working to tackle the issue, but say public demand for easily accessible puppies is “fuelling this harmful trade”.
The charity is urging those with concerns to submit a report to the charity’s Special Investigations Unit.
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