Worker 'sprayed dog's blood everywhere' at 'dirty' K9 fertility clinic in Aberdeen

An Aberdeen woman who “sprayed dog’s blood everywhere” at a K9 fertility clinic described as “dirty” has been sentenced.

Coral Abel pleaded guilty to multiple attempts to take intravenous blood samples while being unqualified and unsupervised from a golden retriever dog named Zara.

Gary Bain, the owner of the facility, also pleaded guilty and has been disqualified from providing service for animals for five years.

The pair made multiple attempts to carry out internal artificial insemination, causing “distress, pain and suffering” to Zara.

A man who ran a K9 fertility clinic has been disqualified from providing service for animals for five years. Scottish SPCA

An investigation by the Scottish SPCA found a witness attended the clinic to check on Zara, and found Abel taking the intravenous blood sample without wearing gloves.

The floor of the clinic was described as “dirty, covered in dog hair and very unhygienic”.

Abel took multiple attempts to find the vein in the dog’s foreleg, and as a result, blood sprayed everywhere with pools of blood also on the floor.

The witness, who was described as feeling “distressed and panicked” at seeing and hearing her dog in pain, made an official complaint regarding the entire incident to Bain.

He was sentenced on March 21 at Aberdeen Sheriff Court and Abel was sentenced on February 21 at the same court.

Bain received a £900 fine and a disqualification order that prohibits him from providing animal services for five years.

Abel received a community payback order of 100 hours unpaid work to be completed in 12 months.

A not guilty plea was accepted for Aberdeen K9 Ltd run by Bain.

A Scottish SPCA special investigations inspector said: “We are currently seeing a significantly rising trend of serious and organised crime groups opening dog fertility clinics nationally.

“This is a way to launder illegal proceeds through a legitimate business.

“There are no formal qualifications needed to open a dog fertility clinic, which offers services such as ultrasound and non-invasive fertility treatments.

“However, intrusive surgeries including taking blood samples intravenously can only be taken by qualified individuals such as veterinary surgeons or veterinary nurses under supervision.”

The Scottish SPCA said it was “clear” to the witness that Abel was not proficient or confident at obtaining the intravenous blood sample.

Zara’s fertility levels registered as being too high and, therefore, the procedure should not have been carried out.

A spokesperson added: “When we attended, we observed that the rear of the premises was divided into two rooms, a fertility treatment room and directly next door was the dog grooming area.

“The conditions to the rear of the premises were generally dirty, with dog hair all over the floor.

“The conditions inside of the fertility treatment room were not sterile or even clean.

“The surfaces of the work tops were dirty and unhygienic, the floor was covered in dog hair, grime and dirt and were a real cause for concern.

“The unclean, unhygienic environment poses the potential for spread of disease and a real risk of introducing bacterial infection into bitches who are there for the purposes of artificial insemination (AI).

“We are disappointed with the sentencing as there were animal welfare concerns raised here.

“The collection of blood from a non-qualified person as well as being illegal was detrimental to the welfare of Zara.

“As this individual was not properly trained or qualified, she did not ensure the welfare of Zara during these procedures.

“This event caused Zara distress, pain and in our opinion unnecessary suffering. By performing this in a dirty room and not using gloves to handle the equipment this put Zara at risk of an infection.”

Anyone who is aware of any similar instances or other serious, organised or protracted animal-related crimes is asked to contact The Scottish SPCA via the form.