An animal welfare charity is urging north-east residents who believe they have bought a pet from a puppy farm to come forward and share their story.
The Scottish SPCA is leading a multi-agency fight against the illegal puppy trade.
Operation Delphin aims to detect offenders, disrupt the illicit trade and reduce animal suffering.
An undercover inspector for the charity said: “We’re looking for anyone who has bought a puppy in the past 12 months which has become seriously ill, or died, shortly after purchase.
“If you suspect you bought a puppy from a puppy farm in north-east Scotland we strongly encourage you to get in touch with our animal helpline. Calls are confidential and will greatly assist our efforts of tackling the despicable illegal puppy trade.”
Anyone with information is being urged to contact the Scottish SPCA animal helpline on 03000 999 999.
In November nearly 90 dogs and puppies were seized by the charity from a property at East Mains of Ardlogie, near Fyvie.
All of the dogs were taken to a centre in Glasgow to recover and vets believed some were no more than five days old.
