Sheffield man fined for selling illegally imported puppies

Sandor Juhasz-Vedres, aged 56, of Castledale Grove, Manor, pleaded guilty at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court to bringing dogs into the country without the correct health certificate and without notifying the appropriate Government department that they were being imported.He also pleaded guilty to running a pet shop from his previous home address in Darnall Road, Darnall.Acting on information from a Trading Standards officer in the Midlands, an animal health Inspector from Sheffield Council’s environmental protection service investigated and found that Juhasz-Vedres was importing puppies from Hungary to sell in the UK. The court heard that he imported the puppies without following necessary controls meaning the risk of disease was greatly increased.He also sold the puppies from his home, which was not licenced as a pet shop, meaning no controls were in place to ensure the puppies were kept in good conditions.Juhasz-Vedres was fined £1,000 with costs of £911, and a victim surcharge of £50.Coun Terry Fox, Sheffield Council's cabinet member for environment and transport, said: “When people import pets in this way they evade the strict import controls that have helped keep Britain’s pets and wildlife protected from the most serious of diseases for many years.“Failure to follow importing controls could result in a serious outbreak of disease and the damage that could cause is immeasurable. We are pleased that the court supported our action and hope this case highlights why those rules are in place and the importance of following them."