The Landsberg district court has sentenced a 55-year-old woman to prison for selling puppies from Eastern Europe. As a spokesman for the court announced on Thursday, the accused was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for multiple commercial fraud. Probation is no longer possible with this level of punishment. The verdict was announced on Wednesday.
According to the indictment, the woman incorrectly stated that eight puppies were sold as pedigree dogs, mostly Bolonka Zwetna, from a hobby breeder. In truth, they are said to have been animals from a questionable source in the Czech Republic. The woman is said to have forwarded part of the proceeds of more than 9,000 euros to the suppliers. A veterinarian is also said to have been involved in the scam, and according to the court, separate criminal proceedings are underway against the veterinarian.
According to the animal welfare organization Four Paws, some of the animals were mixed breeds, most of which were sick and infested with parasites. A puppy died. The international organization explained that the judgment of the Upper Bavarian court was an “important step in the fight against the illegal puppy trade”.
The police in Bavaria also repeatedly stop animal transports, in which poorly cared for and insufficiently medically treated puppies are brought from Eastern Europe to Germany. Such dogs are often resold from the car trunk in public parking lots in a dubious way. The animals are offered by the perpetrators in classified ads or on the Internet. Buyers are often people who are looking for specific pedigree dogs and do not want to pay the price that is usual with German breeders. According to animal rights activists, the illegally traded puppies are usually separated from their mothers far too early.