A Hungarian man, who illegally imported puppies to Britain, left one Salford family with a damaged home, broken hearts and over £1700 out of pocket
Janos Racz sold the pup as a British Bulldog which the disabled mum of two who bought it felt would be right the size and temperament for her family.
But the pup, named Bella, turned out to be a Boxer which grew large, boisterous and unmanageable, damaged the family home and eventually had to be given up for adoption via a rehoming charity. The family, who had set out to buy a placid, quiet pet, were distraught as they loved the dog but simply could not cope with it.
Salford and Manchester magistrates also heard that Mr Racz claimed the puppies he sold were British born and had been vaccinated against rabies. When the truth was uncovered the animals had to go into quarantine for five weeks, leaving their owners hundreds of pounds out of pocket for kennel fees.
Mr Racz, 46,of Barff Road, Salford pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to keeping a pet shop without a licence contrary to the Pet Animals Act 1951, a breach of the Trade in Animals and Related Products Regulations 2011 relating to importing a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel without a health certificate and four offences under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 relating to claiming that dogs were vaccinated when they weren’t and failing to tell consumers the dogs came from Hungary.
He appeared at Salford and Manchester magistrates court today and was sentenced to eight weeks in jail suspended for 12 months and 180 hours unpaid work. He was also ordered to pay £2295 costs and £2385 compensation.
The court heard that Salford City Council’s trading standards team visited Mr Racz in September and October last year and saw King Charles spaniel and pug puppies at his home. Two of the spaniel pups were seized. Mr Racz was also advertising a daschund for sale via the internet.
He refused to be interviewed but did admit to bringing puppies into England from Hungary, claiming they were his pets. He refused to say how many animals he had imported but officers saw at least 12 puppies at his home during visits and his mobile phone number matched that given on a website where he advertised the dogs for sale.
Pet passports confirmed that the dogs, which were being sold to the public, were from Hungary and had not been vaccinated against rabies, though Mr Racz told one buyer the dog had had all its necessary vaccinations. People who bought dogs from him said they would have not have done so had they realised the pups were not British born.
A vet confirmed the puppy sold as a bulldog was actually a Boxer.
Mr Racz sold the pups for an average of £500 each and is estimated to have made at least £4,000.
The family who bought Bella said they were experienced dog owners who wanted a British bulldog to be a companion for their other dogs.
“We went to the house and it looked like a normal family home. The puppy looked underweight and under-nourished. We had doubts right from the start about her being a bulldog but he told us she was and we just wanted to get her out of there. Plus our children fell in love with her instantly.”
“We took her to our vet the very next day and she spotted she wasn’t British born. Four days later she was taken into quarantine for five weeks and we had a five hour round trip every weekend to go see her, plus our whole family had to rally round to pay the £700 kennel fees.
“My husband went back to the house to try and get our money back but there were other men there and it was quite intimidating so he left it.”
Bella came home the week before Christmas but grew bigger, even more boisterous and began fighting with other dogs in the home to be dominant.
“We persevered trying to train her but when we left her alone she ripped up the lino and took chunks out of the walls. She’d knock me and the children over when she greeted us and when a vet confirmed she was a Boxer and that behaviour was part of the breed we had to let her go. It was heartbreaking. It’s hard that someone conned us and has put us off ever buying another dog via the internet.”
