Kennel owner prosecuted for making dog overbreed (From Southend Standard)
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Kennel owner prosecuted for making dog overbreed
1:10pm Sunday 9th May 2010 in News
A KENNEL boss has admitted a string of animal-related offences.
Loretta Bastin, who runs Runwell Kennels in Meadow Lane, Wickford, pleaded guilty to offences, including overbreeding a dog and accepting animals on the premises which were not been properly vaccinated.
Bastin, who has previously been in court in connection with selling sick dogs imported from unlicensed Irish puppy farms, was given an 18-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay £1,800 costs.
At Witham Magistrates’ Court, she admitted overbreeding a Pomeranian bitch, making it give birth to a second litter of puppies within 12 months.
Offences also included: l Failure to microchip a litter of puppies l Failure to keep vaccination records for 18 bitches and four stud dogs.
l Allowing puppies on the premises, without the required veterinary certificates l Failure to keep a record for a litter of Yorkshire terriers l Not maintaining a required livestock register detailing the breeders and suppliers of each animal with purchase dates and receipts.
The Chelmsford Council prosecution followed several inspections at the kennels, also known as Dobe Farm, last year.
It is not illegal to import dogs from Ireland, but the council warned consumers against it.
Laura Ketley, council spokeswoman, said: “We have worked with the RSPCA, and it is clear the importation of puppies from unlicensed breeders outside the UK is undesirable, and gives the puppy a poor start in life.
“There is no guarantee they have been weaned properly, and if suddenly taken from their mother and subjected to a long journey, they are very likely to be stressed.
“If any puppy was incubating the parvovirus [a contagious infection spread from dog to dog through exposure to faeces] it may not manifest itself until the puppy has moved to their new home.
“However, at the point of sale, the puppy may still look perfectly healthy.”
The Echo called Runwell Kennels, but a woman who answered said Bastin was unavailable for comment.
Comments(56)
midnight warrior
says...
11:12pm Sun 9 May 10
Mark D
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11:27pm Sun 9 May 10
Dave T.B.
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4:12am Mon 10 May 10
This has nothing to do with ignorance, Loretta Bastin has been dealing in the puppy trade for long enough to know what acceptable animal welfare is. Yet she is allowed to continue trading in the cruelty that is associated with puppy farming, inflicting misery into the lives of (recorded/documented
) families who have bought sick and/or dying puppies from her.
Why is it that despite previous prosecutions and complaints both to Essex Trading Standards and Chelmsford County Council, the council have deemed Loretta Bastin a suitable and appropriate person to be granted a breeding license by the council?
Ms. Bastin and her family have shown nothing but contempt for the Animal Wefare Act and the council.
Colleen G
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8:35am Mon 10 May 10
Mark D
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9:14am Mon 10 May 10
om/watch?v=kcy5XkB7x
xA
pupsy
says...
10:42am Mon 10 May 10
Chelmsford council should be ashamed of the part they play in such cruelty and contributing to puppy farms.
Year after year they let this woman sell sick or dying pups to unsuspecting people who come from far and wide to buy a puppy.
Complete failure of duty Chemlsford ,shame on you!
Radar Ears
says...
11:31am Mon 10 May 10
Mark D wrote:I've just looked at this You Tube video I had to google "Loretta Bastin" to find it, but it's over 13 YEARS since she started being investigated.
This makes interesting viewing: http://www.youtube.c om/watch?v=kcy5XkB7x xA
puppyalert
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1:04pm Mon 10 May 10
Colleen G
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3:12pm Mon 10 May 10
pupsy wrote:No confusion at all. Why is one cruel and the other not! Cruelty is cruelty regardless the species. If there's any confusion it's on the part of dimwits who dont see the irony.
Colleen,you are confusing animals red for the food chain with companion animals, known as mans best friend! Chelmsford council should be ashamed of the part they play in such cruelty and contributing to puppy farms. Year after year they let this woman sell sick or dying pups to unsuspecting people who come from far and wide to buy a puppy. Complete failure of duty Chemlsford ,shame on you!
pupsy
says...
3:29pm Mon 10 May 10
Puppy farm dogs are kept in confined filthy, disease ridden cells.
And this discussion is about puppy farming and rogue traders. So who is the dimwit.
Mary Lou
says...
4:14pm Mon 10 May 10
Colleen G wrote:I'm with Colleen. So this thread is about puppy farming, so what!!
pupsy wrote: Colleen,you are confusing animals red for the food chain with companion animals, known as mans best friend! Chelmsford council should be ashamed of the part they play in such cruelty and contributing to puppy farms. Year after year they let this woman sell sick or dying pups to unsuspecting people who come from far and wide to buy a puppy. Complete failure of duty Chemlsford ,shame on you!No confusion at all. Why is one cruel and the other not! Cruelty is cruelty regardless the species. If there's any confusion it's on the part of dimwits who dont see the irony.
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The hypocrisy of pet owners knows no bounds. In the past the pet industry has slaughtered whales and depleted oceanic fish species for pet food.
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I would guess that most dogs are physcotic, cage birds are kept in cramped conditions and the trade in re-stocking aquariams to replace the latest batch of floating corpses is endless. The pet shops sell cages for rodents and rabbitts that are highly unsuitable and don't get me started on other exotic species.
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But aaahhh lets all think about the fluffy puppy eh.
geezer, innit
says...
4:43pm Mon 10 May 10
bytheway
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5:07pm Mon 10 May 10
pupsy
says...
5:21pm Mon 10 May 10
Lorretta Bastin should be stopped from selling dogs now. Chelsmford council do your job!
Colleen G
says...
5:39pm Mon 10 May 10
pupsy wrote:LOL none so blind as the div who doesnt have a clue how farm anmals are raised, or the fact there is no distinction between cruelty, and cruelty. You cant be that dense so I presume you're just taking the P!
Again Colleen its you who doesn't see the difference. Cattle and sheep mostly have a good life on the fields, are well fed and cared for. Puppy farm dogs are kept in confined filthy, disease ridden cells. And this discussion is about puppy farming and rogue traders. So who is the dimwit.
Take a look at http://www.ciwf.org.
uk/
and educate yourself
Dave T.B.
says...
6:27pm Mon 10 May 10
Once you start name calling your comments lose credibility.
I haven’t seen a comment here denying that cruelty against animals should be equal across the board – all I see is someone jumping on the bandwagon to criticise a comment made in answer to an article in the Echo that has absolutely nothing to do with the subject..
Had the article been on farm animals or any other pet shop animal/pet, then my comment would have been aimed at that subject.
Do you not think Colleen that a few comments on this page are from one or two animal welfare groups who happen to campaign on behalf of puppy farm dogs? Or do you think the people who have commented about this article subject should only be interested in the animal welfare groups that you so obviously are?
Nice to see hypocrisy is consistent!
Mary Lou
Kudos to you for being with Colleen
– but your comment.
“The hypocrisy of pet owners knows no bounds?
Nor does the hypocrisy of people like you who make that type of statement.
Former meat eaters/animal coat/skin wearers were ignorant, before being enlightened to the methods used to obtain what they ate or wore. How many former smokers do you know who would now be the first, and loudest, to complain if person began smoking within a few feet of themselves?
No this is not just about ‘the fluffy puppy’, it’s mostly about the blatant disregard of the Animal Welfare Act and the unacceptable conditions that the parents of the fluffy, sick, and diseased parasite ridden puppies are kept.
Before you start casting your hypocrisy net Mary Lou; When was the last time you bought a Procter and Gamble product?
Orange juice? Shampoo? Cleaning/washing powder etc.?
Lets all take a moment to say, 'aaahhh' and think about the all the fluffy rabbits that were forced to endure the Draize eye test, or the beagles who have irritants rammed down their throats, or the primates, mice and other animals who are used in the products consumers buy
– but then again that hasn’t got anything to do with the article subject - Loretta Bastin/Toye isn't this is what we are supposed to be commenting on?
pupsy
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6:27pm Mon 10 May 10
If you had read my post I said MOST farm animals have a good life, I am fully aware some don't. However as this article is about dogs and people care enough to post,who are you to call them hypocrites? My compassion extends to all animals, you seem to think because some farm animals also suffer that its ok for dogs to be kept in pup?
essexrover
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6:39pm Mon 10 May 10
Colleen G
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6:43pm Mon 10 May 10
pupsy wrote:MOST farm animals have an appalling life. Stop making things up as you go along.
Colleen, If you had read my post I said MOST farm animals have a good life, I am fully aware some don't. However as this article is about dogs and people care enough to post,who are you to call them hypocrites? My compassion extends to all animals, you seem to think because some farm animals also suffer that its ok for dogs to be kept in pup?
The article is about puppy farms. My complaint is those bleating about puppy farms, while happily keeping stum about other *farmed* animals who live the same, or worse lives than puppy *farmed* animals. So now do you and the other ingrate comprehend where the ball actually is before you took your eye off it!
pupsy
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6:47pm Mon 10 May 10
You are a disgrace to your cause
Mark D
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6:58pm Mon 10 May 10
missimoo
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7:10pm Mon 10 May 10
It is clear that you know nothing about the subject that this article is about. So I'm going to assume that you have chosen to insult the comments of genuine people on here because..
(a) You've got nothing better to do.
(b You aren't allowed to speak at home.
(c) Your comments really are the prattlings of an under developed mind.
Please stop insulting people and find somewhere more appropriate to place your comments.
Mary Lou
says...
9:13pm Mon 10 May 10
.
I am also unaware that I must contribute my quota of relevant comments and nothing else. NOT!!.
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I am not a vegan or a saint or pro anilmal lib, but the hypocrisy of pet owners still amazes me. They will single out clear cases of cruelty as cited here, is that on topic enough for you, but will close their eyes to the wider picture.
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Shut up a dog in a hot car and it will get front page news, but stick a calf in a veal crate or force feed a duck. Nah not good enough copy to tug at the heart strings for more than a nano second. Oh dear I've strayed.
pupsy
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9:21pm Mon 10 May 10
essexrover
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9:40pm Mon 10 May 10
midnight warrior
says...
10:36pm Mon 10 May 10
missimoo
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1:12am Tue 11 May 10
Judging by the way Essex Trading Standards can reel off Loretta Bastin's name and address, when someone phones with a complaint about a sick puppy, it only goes to show there must be plenty of them.
Chelmsford Council meanwhile are still failing to protect the public from the very person they themselves deem fit to hold a pet shop and dog breeding license.
What excuse will they give this time when David Whiteley and the BBC’s Inside Out programme come knocking at their door asking questions? Judging by the amount of emails they are receiving that won't be too far in the future.
Cazza81
says...
1:27pm Tue 11 May 10
It's a good thing there are some kind people out there who care for animals, no matter what species.
bytheway
says...
2:30pm Tue 11 May 10
puppyalert wrote:Chelmsford Council are weak in affecting proper monioring on these kennels. They are still advertising in The Evening Echo under Runwell Kennels and prospective buyers are too gullable. Would you buy a puppy in a station car park!
Loretta Bastin (Toye) of Runwell Kennels commonly known as Dobe Farm is notorious known for selling sick puppies, not complying with her pet shop or dog breeding licence, the latter without planning permission. Essex Trading Standards and Chelmsford Borough Council have repeatedly take this person to Court but they fail to stop her trading, why? Legally she cannot trade without both licenses so why when she has pleaded guilty to offences has the licence been renewed each year? The consumer is getting duped by rogue trading, the puppies continue to suffer. Chelmsford Council have been aware of the business activities on the site for years and the publics dissatisfaction yet they have continued to allow this trade to continue it is time for closure. The area does not need to have in is midst an outlet for puppies bred on puppy farms bought into Essex from S Ireland, neither does it need to have breeding **** overbred on site. Stop puppies being sold from pet shops, dealers and puppy farming.
missimoo
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3:53pm Tue 11 May 10
bytheway
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12:25am Wed 12 May 10
pupsy
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7:31am Wed 12 May 10
Without the advertisements, Bastin and many people like her would struggle to sell the weak and sickly pups and cause heartbreak to families who read the Echo.
We will now ad this newspaper to our list of unethical press.
http://www.puppylove
campaigns.org/index.
shtml
Perhaps local people could start a boycott of the Echo ?
missimoo
says...
4:55pm Wed 12 May 10
If you are looking more details about Loretta Bastin and her history of puppy trading, you will find it here.
http://sites.google.
com/site/puppyalert/
Thank you.
Clara13
says...
9:53pm Thu 13 May 10
Every female animal gives birth to a litter every time they come into season. Indeed, since the Animal Welfare Act demands that we allow animals to express their instincts there is an argument that preventing them from having puppies could be classed as a criminal offence.
Since when did the council decide that compulsory microchipping of litters was reasonable to include in licensing requirements? Now that microchips have been implicated in causing cancers, have been found to move in the dog and in some cases simply fail to work or cannot be found, no responsible owner would dream of inserting these dangerous foreign bodies into their animals.
Most of the charges relate to a bureaucratic nightmare designed to give the council intrusive information about everyone involved with dogs. Compulsory microchipping is not just a register of dogs but is compulsory ID for the owners as well.
How crafty our rulers are to sneak such unpopular measures in by the back door like this!
For those objecting to imports of Irish puppies I suggest you ask the major animal welfare charities how many Irish dogs are brought into the UK and sold on from their centres. Most of the smaller rescues are up in arms about it. But of course it is a goldmine for the charities concerned. After all, what is a minimum donation but a selling price?
Remember that charities have also become big businesses and are working to get rid of the competition they find in small businesses like that of Loretta Bastini.
Dalriada
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3:26pm Fri 14 May 10
Clara13
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7:55pm Fri 14 May 10
Dalriada wrote:Then you would be wring in your assumption Dalriada.
I can only assume Clara that you are a member of the extended Bastin/Toye family.
pupsy
says...
8:25pm Fri 14 May 10
As dealers and animal traders get more brazen in their dealing with the general public the councils are forced to become stricter and any GOOD breeder would not object to these new rules.
Some people should learn how to do an honest days work then they would not need to trade in dogs.
The history of the people running these kennels goes back a long way and was taken up by the Daily Mail the Mail on Sunday and TV programes Look East 'Damned Dogs' and others resulting in Rynair refusing to carry puppies by their airline for the premises any longer. 1996.
Plus other things including a jail sentence which are all in print and can be made available to anyone who wishes to see them.
missimoo
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9:19pm Fri 14 May 10
"For those objecting to imports of Irish puppies I suggest you ask the major animal welfare charities how many Irish dogs are brought into the UK and sold on from their centres. Most of the smaller rescues are up in arms about it. But of course it is a goldmine for the charities concerned. After all, what is a minimum donation but a selling price?"
I think you'll find that the rescues' you refer to, spay or neuter, vaccinate, worm and microchip for the price of that donation - not bad is it?
Dogs have been domesticated for thousands of years - even so, I'm willing to bet that any of Ms. Bastin's dogs stand a better chance of survival in the wild, than in her 'caring' hands. What of the sick puppies that she insists are returned to her? - do you know of any case where that same dog was returned to the buyer?
I agree with Dalriada - you have some vested interest in Ms. Bastin's business. With regard to the pro’s and con’s of microchipping it would depend from what side of the fence you are looking from. For the vast majority, the very minimal risk of a tumour developing, far outweighs the chance of tracing a carelessly bred, genetically unsound dog, back to it's money-grabbing breeder.
midnight warrior
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12:17am Sat 15 May 10
Clara13
says...
4:51pm Sat 15 May 10
The fact that the Bastin dogs conceive and produce live young is a strong indicator that they are receiving adequate nutrition.
What exactly do you mean by 'companion animals'? They are simply pets - i.e. wild animals that have been tamed and are kept by humans.
Is it your contention that GOOD breeders will willingly insert cancer forming foreign bodies into their animals? Take a look at
http://www.dog-datab
ase-state.org.uk/
and see the dangers in store for people and their pets.
As for the adverse publicity - Do you really believe all that you read in the papers or see on TV?
Journalists tend to reproduce anything the RSPCA press release says without even a thought as to whether it is accurate or not - and who can blame them? An easy sotry on a plate and the only people who would be likely to sue are the ones whose lives are now shattered and whose businesses are destroyed.
Are they likely to have the money to bring a defamation suit?
Clara13
says...
5:04pm Sat 15 May 10
It sounds so twee - spay/neuter, done - but what is really happening is castration and ovio-hysterectomy - not such minor surgery when you think about it, is it?
Try having a look at these sites that detail the dangers of such operations:
http://www2.dcn.org/
orgs/ddtc/sfiles/Lon
gTermHealthEffectsOf
SpayNeuterInDogs.pdf
http://www.caninespo
rts.com/SpayNeuter.h
tml
Interesting that this is allowed when much simpler and cheaper operations such as vasectomy and tubal ligation are available.
Clara13
says...
5:19pm Sat 15 May 10
Not only does it become impossible for the animal to live in a house with a family, it usually means the animal is 'put down' or to put it more bluntly, killed.
Which is more expensive for both animal and owner?
Remember that the small chance of mammary tumours is something that happens at the end of life, a life that could be ended simply because of an adverse reaction to anaesthetic even before the problems associated with elective ovio-hysterectomies (spaying) are considered.
pupsy
says...
5:29pm Sat 15 May 10
No we don't believe all we read or see on tv but we do believe vet reports on sick Bastin pups and which we see with our own eyes and validate.
Perhaps Bastin could use the info you posted about vasectomy and tubal ligatation, why not send it to her,she needs educating more than the posters here!
Oh and while trying to tug at heart strings about ruined business and shattered lives, spare a thought for the children left heartbroken when a pup dies and their parents who have spent countless £ trying to save the life of a Bastin pup.
There is no pity out there for the kind of people who make their living by selling sick pups, get used to it.
Clara13
says...
5:30pm Sat 15 May 10
Oh well . . .
More pc gone mad!
Dalriada
says...
8:21pm Sat 15 May 10
Clara13
says...
8:55pm Sat 15 May 10
If the Bastin dogs are riddled with contagious diseases then none of them would be left alive.
What is more likely is that people are buying pups and ignoring the advice on how to feed them. Lots of chocolate and titbits combined with lots of excited children are going to give pups the runs. Then of course the vet will warn it is probably parvo.
Clara13
says...
9:07pm Sat 15 May 10
Dalriada, maybe you believe that your desperate attempts to link me to Ms. Bastin are somehow adding susbtance to your arguments but I can assure you that I have no contact with dog breeding whatsoever. Not that I expect you to accept that - it is far easier to sling ad hominems than to discuss the facts.
Also, most older vets will not remove the small mammary tumours and warts that some **** develop. They know about primary tumours suppressing the growth of secondaries and the link between warts and cancers.
Unfortunately most younger vets believe aggresseive and expesnve surgery is the only way to go, resulting in many unnecessary dog deaths.
Remember that dogs are not 'babies' and you are not their 'mum'. They are your pets (property) and you are their owner,
Also remember that kennels are neither 'prison cells' nor 'concentration camps'.
If the conditions in any breeding premises are sub-standard then the Animal Welfare Act 2006 provides sufficient power for the people responsible to be prosecuted and banned from keeping animals. If this has not happened it is because dogs do not need or require 5 star hotel accommodation. They require kennels.
Should some stars appear above, it is because the site seems to dsapprove of the word for female dogs. Very sexist of it - why is the male version of the word acceptable?
Dalriada
says...
9:07pm Sat 15 May 10
pupsy
says...
9:12pm Sat 15 May 10
Or maybe you just like an argument in which case stay on topic please. We are not here to discuss veterinary ethics.
Dalriada
says...
9:58pm Sat 15 May 10
Echo you should reconsider taking this evil Bastin's blood money
Clara13
says...
10:04pm Sat 15 May 10
Of course I am watching the thread - I posted to it! And it has this amazing facility that when clicked will e-mail you every time someone makes a posting!
Isn't technology wonderful?
Now, are you going to address the issues I raised or are you determined to sink to straw men and ad hominems?
Clara13
says...
10:10pm Sat 15 May 10
It is all too easy to jump on a bandwagon and condemn someone - remember all those people who attacked a paediatrician because someone had thought he must be a paedophile?
If people are throwing emotive claims around without any supporting facts then they need to be pushed to find some facts because the results of witch hunts and lynch mobs are never pretty.
pupsy
says...
7:15am Sun 16 May 10
Loretta Bastin, who runs Runwell Kennels in Meadow Lane, Wickford, pleaded guilty to offences, including overbreeding a dog and accepting animals on the premises which were not been properly vaccinated.
Mary Lou
says...
9:19am Sun 16 May 10
pupsy wrote:"....we are not here to discuss.."
For someone with no connection with dog breeding Clara you seem to have great sympathy for someone most people wouldn't want to defend? Or maybe you just like an argument in which case stay on topic please. We are not here to discuss veterinary ethics.
.
So who made you milk monitor.
pupsy
says...
9:34am Sun 16 May 10
Trainman says...
7:25pm Sun 9 May 10
Poor grammar yet again.