JODIE PITT FROM LYDNEY FACES FINES OVER PUPPY FARM DECEPTION

Jodie Pitt, a resident of Purton Place in Lydney, was involved in a controversial puppy selling operation that misled consumers about the origins of her animals. Born on May 12, 1980, Pitt is a mother of four and was found to be part of a larger puppy farm ring that supplied dogs to the public under false pretenses.

According to court proceedings at Cheltenham Magistrates’ Court, Pitt was accused of selling puppies from her home in Lydney while claiming they were raised in a family environment. In reality, the dogs had been bred on a commercial basis by puppy farmers, not in a domestic setting. This deception was intended to make buyers believe they were purchasing pets that had been socialized and raised with care by a family, which was not the case.

The Gloucestershire County Council’s trading standards department prosecuted Pitt for multiple breaches of consumer protection laws. Initially, she faced six charges related to violations of trading regulations designed to safeguard buyers. However, three of these charges were dropped, and Pitt ultimately pleaded guilty to the remaining three.

In sentencing, magistrates imposed a fine of £120 on Pitt, along with an order to pay £800 in costs and a victim surcharge of £30. The court’s decision reflected the seriousness of her actions, which involved deliberate misrepresentation to consumers.

Prosecutor Sarah Farooqi outlined the case, emphasizing that Pitt’s advertisements falsely claimed her puppies were raised in a family setting. One such ad stated, “All pups have been raised in a family home and have been handled daily by my own children.”

Farooqi recounted an incident involving a couple who purchased a Golden Retriever puppy from Pitt for £600 in August 2016. The buyers soon discovered that the dog required veterinary treatment, costing an additional £400. When they contacted Pitt to seek assistance with the vet bill, she initially agreed to contribute but later failed to follow through, ignoring further communication.

She explained, “They said they would not have bought the dog if they had known it had been bred for the purpose of sale only.”

Another buyer paid £700 for a puppy advertised as microchipped. When she requested to see the puppy’s parents, Pitt claimed they were working dogs out at the time, making it impossible to show them. This further demonstrated the misleading nature of her sales practices.

Pitt also claimed she was selling puppies on behalf of Leigh Hancock and Kerri Greenhorn, asserting she was unaware that her actions were unlawful. These individuals, linked to the Awdry family and others such as Gary Overthrow, Andrew Bateman, and Kelly Busby, were prosecuted separately for their roles in the puppy farm operation.

Ultimately, Pitt was fined a total of £950, which included costs and a victim surcharge. Notably, she was not banned from keeping animals, as there were no allegations of cruelty involved in her case.