A man and woman who trafficked dogs into the UK from eastern Europe and sold them to unsuspecting members of the public have admitted a string of cruelty offences.
Laura Kiseliova, 37, and husband Raimondas Titas, 35, each pleaded guilty to 10 counts of causing unnecessary suffering to dogs, fraudulent enterprise, running a pet shop and breeding business without a licence, and a long list of animal welfare offences.
RSPCA officers were shocked to find nearly 50 dogs and cats crammed into the Prestwich home the pair used as a base for their company Pets 313 Ltd.
Some of the animals were severely ill and were found to have hemorrhagic gastroenteritis, conjunctivitis, infected wounds and open sores.
At least 22 high-value puppies and dogs, mostly French bulldogs and pugs, were living in cramped cages at the pair’s home address.
The court heard how the traffickers were bringing dogs into the UK from Lithuania and Hungary and falsely marking them as registered to sell them at a profit.
It’s thought the couple sold over 1,000 trafficked animals across Greater Manchester.
The RSPCA and Salford City Council Trading Standards teams launched investigations after complaints from new owners who found their pets had unchecked illnesses, skin conditions, or congenital diseases.
Many were fraudulently told their pets had all the necessary vaccines when in fact Kiseliova and Titas had done nothing of the sort.
Kiseliova and Titas were due to stand trial at Manchester Crown Court, but switched their plea to guilty today, Thursday 2 June.
Kiseliova was released on conditional bail and Titas has been remanded in custody.
The pair are due back in court for sentencing on Friday 8 July.
RSPCA special operations unit chief inspector Ian Briggs said: “When we attended the property in Prestwich on 18 November 2013 we found 41 dogs and puppies and eight cats in a variety of cages, crates and runs.
“Many of the dogs were French bulldogs, bulldogs, and pugs, while there were also pedigree cat breeds.
“It was obvious that this duo were dealing and trading in a large number of animals and that many of them were not receiving the appropriate care and veterinary attention they needed.
“During our investigation, most of the animals were signed over into RSPCA care and later rehomed.”
