A stolen pet from Burton was among dogs sold in a sophisticated fraud operation that put puppies "at risk of infection and disease", a court has heard.
Breeder Lucy Guntripp made nearly £3,000 selling dogs with fake documents, including bogus vaccination certificates signed by cousin Kelvin Brown.
The man, posing as registered veterinary surgeon called "Keith Brown", was rumbled by genuine vets who saw the forged papers.
One such dog sold with forged papers was border terrier Ginny who featured heavily in the in the Burton Mail after she was snatched from the back garden of her Shobnall home in January 2015 only to be discovered a year later.
It has now been revealed Guntripp had then sold Ginny to a new owner in Doncaster six months later. The new owner found out her real identity from a microchip scanned by her vet.
The court heard Guntripp had issued a catalogue of false documents when the buyer from Doncaster paid £500 for the bitch.
They included a breeders’ certificate, vaccination card, ownership papers and Kennel Club registration – all carrying fake name "Red Caro".
Guntripp and Brown have now pleaded guilty to their crimes after appearing at North Staffordshire Justice Centre on Monday, December 18.
Magistrates ruled they had "risked the health and well-being of the puppies" and inflicted "high emotional distress" on their victims.
Prosecutor Lucy Daniels said: "Lucy Guntripp made £2,950 by advertising a large number of puppies and dogs for sale between May 2015 and February 2016.
"Not only have the defendants misled the purchasers, but they’ve saved money by not actually vaccinating the puppies themselves.
"This would have put the animals’ health at risk from infection and disease, as would selling the puppies at just six weeks of age.
"The fraudulent vaccination certificates meant customers had to pay around £80 for extra vaccinations after buying the dogs."
After several vets reported the forged vaccination cards, animal health officers raided Guntripp’s Trippyhill Farm, in Uttoxeter in February 2016.
Ms Daniels, prosecuting for animal health authority Staffordshire County Council, told the court what was uncovered during the raid.
She said: "Evidence gathered during the execution of a warrant at Lucy Guntripp’s home address found altered tail docking certificates and blank Irish vaccination certificates.
"It was a sophisticated fraud. There were false documents and vaccination certificates.
"In relation to Lucy Guntripp, this is a case of culpability and there has been an abuse of her position and responsibility.
"People buying pets rely on the person selling them when they say they’ve been vaccinated."
Among the other animals sold with certificates signed by Brown were wire-haired fox terrier puppies that fetched up to £850 each.
Richard Oldroyd, defending Guntripp and Brown, said: "Kelvin Brown accepts he signed these documents when asked to do so.
"When contacted by a vet who had seen his name on the certificate, he was asked if he was ‘Keith Brown’ and he said he was.
"I’m not a writing analyst, but it appears likely the signature on the certificate was actually for Kelvin, not Keith, Brown.
"He had no financial gain whatsoever and was not responsible for the animals.
"He was living in a caravan, but has moved out from there and now lives with his partner, who is expecting their child, and has started a successful business.
"The allegations against Lucy Guntripp were spread over a short space of time. There were two litters of terriers.
"It was at a time when she had money difficulties. She lived on a farm where there were problems with vets’ bills and local vets were unwilling to help them with vaccinations.
"There was a big raid in February 2016 and there was no criticism whatsoever in terms of the animals’ welfare."
Guntripp, of Trippyhill Farm, in Hollington Lane, Stramshall, near Uttoxeter, pleaded guilty to participating in a fraudulent business, while Brown, of Heathfield Road, Uttoxeter, admitted unlawfully using a practitioner’s title and three charges of making a false document.
Brown, 33, committed the offences while an unrelated suspended sentence was active, the court heard.
He will be sent to crown court for sentencing on a date yet to be confirmed.
Guntripp, 20, will be back at North Staffordshire Justice Centre, in Newcastle under Lyme, to be sentenced on Monday, January 8.
Both defendants have been granted unconditional bail until they next appear.
Ginny is found
There was huge outcry after a UK-wide appeal was launched to find missing Ginny who was snatched from her heartbroken owner, Hannah Denton.
Ginny went missing at approximately 4.30pm on January 23, 2015, after escaping from the family home.
A neighbour had seen Ginny run across the road before being put in an old red Ford Fiesta which then drove off.
The family launched a campaign to find their pet that touched people across the country.
However, the family urged owners of missing dogs not to give up hope in finding them when Ginny’s unsuspecting new owner returned the dog to Miss Denton. The vet had scanned the microchip which revealed her true identity.
Hannah Denton, Mark Draycott and their son Charlie, then 9, from Shobnall, later made the impassioned plea after being reunited with Ginny on New Year's Day 2016 after thinking they had lost her forever.
Describing the moment she saw Ginny again, Miss Denton said at the time: "I was just a mess. You see so many dogs reunited with their owners and you just hope it will be you next. We were in disbelief.
"Never give up hope. We put up adverts everywhere. You do everything you physically can to find them."
