On Wednesday, Oct. 25th, puppy breeder Christopher Gorman of North Lanarkshire, Scotland was found guilty of abusing 11 dogs and killing two. He has now been issued a lifelong ban on owning animals of any kind, and ordered to pay a £2,600 (approximately $3,000) fine.
Gorman, an unlicensed pet shop owner, was caught on film in June 2016 by at least one witness and an undercover Scottish SPCA Inspector. Gorman, 54, kept 11 mastiffs confined to his tiny backgarden in squalid conditions, often without adequate access to food, water, and shelter. Shocking footage shows Gorman lunging violently at the dogs with a large piece of wood, and hitting several of them.
In Gorman’s home, two puppies were found dead; the cause of death has been reported as parvo virus, a canine illness that can prove fatal. An undercover SPCA Inspector said Gorman’s actions illustrated that his “priorities [laid] entirely in the profit that could be gained from selling on puppies to naïve new owners, rather than in the welfare of the dogs.”
Gorman’s most recent animal cruelty conviction is not his first. He had previously been banned from pet ownership for 10 years in relation to a court hearing he attended in July. It is unknown where the remainder of Gorman’s dogs are housed, as well as whether they will be put up for adoption following recovery.
Several countries have begun to crack down on for-profit animal breeders to prevent incidences of cruelty like Gorman’s and focus on the adoption of animals within shelters and volunteer organizations. The Scottish SPCA alone rescued and cared for 20,000 animals last year.
If you witness any act of animal cruelty, report the incident to your local animal shelter or SPCA as soon as possible. If you or your family is looking to add a furry new family member to your household, be sure to adopt from a reliable organization instead of buying from a breeder. You could very well be saving a life!
