GROTESQUE AND CRUEL

Thug breeder blasted over enterprise that is cashing in on designer dog craze

-  MARK MCGIVERN

A VIOLENT thug who calls himself "Dr DNA" has sparked outrage by creating a new breed of Frankenstein designer dogs.

Gary Hemming, who has no veterinary qualifications, has boasted of intensive breeding techniques that have created spotty pups that are a cross between Dalmatians and French bulldogs.

Experts have told the Daily Record this kind of irresponsible breeding can create dogs doomed to living short lives beset by illness.

But unlicensed dog breeder Hemming says he is creating the dogs to satisfy growing demand for fashionable "designer dogs".

The growth of unethical breeding has been so alarming that the Scottish Government has announced a major legal crackdown that will outlaw unlicensed dog breeders like Hemming.

But 41-year-old Hemming, from Edinburgh, claims he is intent on bringing a huge "wave" of new designer dogs to the market.

He claims his "Pokadot" factory has invented a "new breed" of spotted French bulldogs which he hopes to sell around the globe.

Hemming who was previously exposed for producing genetically damaged Frankenstein pups in a BBC investigation recently posted an online video of one miserable looking pup, with a distended belly.

He proclaims the dog, "Mr Pokadot", to be the future of the new breed.

British Veterinary Association President Dr Elizabeth Mullineaux has concern over told of her breeders like Hemming.

She said: "Vets across the UK are extremely concerned about a number of unscrupulous breeders ignoring the health and welfare of animals by cashing in on the huge demand for 'fashionable' puppy breeds that have been bred to have extreme features like excessive skin wrinkles or flat faces.

"These animals may look 'cute' or unique but they often experience significant health problems and a lifetime of suffering.