An unlicensed canine fertility clinic in Aberdeen – SIU Investigation

Gary Bain, the owner of an unlicensed canine fertility clinic in Aberdeen, and one of his employees, Coral Abel, recently pled guilty to offences related to the clinic’s lack of qualifications which resulted in the harm of a golden retriever named Zara. The clinic was taking intravenous blood samples without a veterinary license, or training, and doing so in an unhygienic and dangerous environment. This is how our determined SIU team came up with a game changing idea that cracked the case.

Behind the doors of Scotland’s high street canine fertility clinics

We’re the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), a team within the Scottish SPCA who investigate crimes against animals. Canine fertility clinics are popping up along our high streets, often performing invasive procedures without the necessary training – such as artificially inseminating high value breeds, or breeds who have trouble naturally giving birth. The lack of qualifications and safety regulations in these ‘clinics’ can result in the harm of some of the animals in their “care”. We’re working tirelessly to uncover these unlicensed clinics and bring those who neglectfully run them to justice.

Such fertility clinics are quite often run by organised crime groups as a way of laundering the proceeds of crime. Their purpose is to breed high value dogs such as French Bulldogs and American Bullies using artificial insemination – offering this service at an inflated price. They also assist in breeding dogs that struggle to give birth naturally such as Bulldogs, American Bullies, French Bulldogs and Pocket Bullies. A lot of these dogs have inherent health problems such as respiratory issues and inbreeding, so assisting in this practice can be inhumane.

These clinics are yet another avenue in the criminal underworld of puppy dealing. Many perpetrators within this industry will go to these connected clinics for vaccinations and help getting their high value bitches pregnant in a quick and effective manner. However, there are many other innocent and unsuspecting people who use these clinics, unaware of the team’s lack of qualifications and ties to the illegal animal trade.

We grew concerned at the rapid rate that these businesses were appearing, especially since they all had blood machines. These progesterone testing machines examine the blood from bitches and test the hormone level (fertility levels) of them, determining the optimal time for artificial insemination. They can be very helpful, along with artificial insemination, for licensed and ethical breeders; however, when in the wrong hands they can contribute to the exploitation and abuse of high profile, and high profit breeds. To use these machines, the clinics must take intravenous blood samples – a fact which later helped us secure a conviction.

A complaint that carved the case

A witness approached us with a complaint regarding a clinic called K9 Fertility Aberdeen. She’d attended this practice with her Golden Retriever, Zara, to check her fertility levels. Coral Abel was present during the appointment and began her attempts to take an intravenous blood sample. Our witness claimed that she did this without gloves and on the floor of the clinic which was covered in dog hair and was visibly dirty. Our witness was unnerved by the lack of hygiene.

Abel reportedly took multiple attempts to find the vein in the dog’s foreleg, resulting in blood spraying everywhere and pooling on the floor. This distressed both Zara and her owner, making it clear to the witness that Abel was not proficient or confident in taking blood samples. She grew concerned that Abel was hurting Zara due to the many attempts it took to obtain the blood.

Abel then processed the blood in the progesterone testing machine and found that Zara’s fertility levels registered as being too high. Hearing and seeing her dog in pain left our witness feeling panicked and upset. She felt that both her, and her dog, had undergone a huge ordeal at the hands of someone they trusted to be qualified. She made an official complaint to the owner of the clinic, Gary Bain, who paid no attention, aware of the scam he was running.

She then contacted us.

Our lightbulb moment

We were aware of multiple operations like K9 Fertility Aberdeen but frustratingly had no solid leads. When this witness approached us, we got what we needed to begin an investigation.

Getting enough evidence about these clinics to secure a conviction can be difficult, even with a witness; however, Zara’s owner had watched Abel take an intravenous blood sample with her own eyes – and this is illegal.

To perform intrusive surgeries, such as taking blood samples intravenously, the practitioner in question must be legally qualified. These procedures can only be performed by specially trained individuals such as veterinary surgeons or supervised veterinary nurses. We realised that we could use this technicality to trap them and prove they weren’t qualified under the Veterinary Surgeons Act.

Our team was the first unit in the UK to recognise this technicality and use it to infiltrate a K9 fertility clinic. We obtained a statement from a veterinary surgeon acknowledging that in their professional opinion, a lay person taking intravenous blood samples is compromising the welfare of animals by opening them up to harm, injury or diseases. We then used this to secure a search warrant under Section 19 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006. This provides the legal basis for us to enter a premises where we believe an animal is suffering. And that’s exactly what we did.

Bain’s shop of horrors

When we executed the search warrant on Bain’s clinic, we noticed that the back of the premises was divided into two rooms – one for fertility treatments and one for dog grooming. The condition of these two rooms was extremely unhygienic. Dog hair littered the floor, along with grime and dirt that had clearly been festering for a while.

The surfaces of the treatment room were unsterile and lacked the basic cleanliness expected of an area that administered treatment to animals. The whole space was a breeding ground for disease and bacterial infections, risking the health of the dogs there for artificial insemination.

During the search of the property, we found a blood machine and veterinary needles. We also seized a mobile phone which contained details about clients and conversations with them that confirmed intravenous blood samples had been taken, and artificial insemination had taken place. We also found conversations with Abel where she was talking about how difficult it was to take the blood samples and how nervous she was to do it. She stated that she didn’t like doing it and was always scared that she was hurting the dog. The phone gave us good evidence, proving the illegal activity that was taking place in the clinic.

Convicting this callous clinic

Gary Bain and Coral Abel both pled guilty to multiple attempts to take intravenous blood samples from Golden Retriever, Zara while being unqualified and unsupervised. Their guilty plea acknowledged that this resulted in distress, pain and suffering. This was the first conviction for a canine fertility clinic in Scotland which was a win for us.

Abel was sentenced on the 21^st of February at Aberdeen Sherrif Court, receiving a community payback order of 100 hours of unpaid work to be completed in 12 months. Bain was sentenced a month later, on the 21^st of March at the same court, and was disqualified from providing service for animals for 5 years. He was also fined £900.

A not guilty plea was accepted for Bain’s clinic, K9 Fertility Aberdeen.

Our thoughts

We’re disappointed with the sentencing as there were serious animal welfare concerns raised by our case. Performing this invasive procedure was extremely detrimental to Zara, as well as any other dogs subjected to these practices. It was clear to us throughout the investigation that this was not the first illegal procedure completed by the pair.

Abel was not trained or qualified to take an intravenous blood sample and did not ensure the welfare of the dog in her care. As well as causing this dog harm and distress, performing this procedure on a dirty floor without gloves left Zara at serious risk of infections and disease. Bain’s operation does not value the safety of the dogs and instead prioritises profit over welfare.

We are tackling this trend of evolving fertility clinics to the very best of our ability and we welcome the proposed licensing of canine fertility services in Scotland; however, it’s imperative that licensing inspections are conducted by registered and experienced veterinary surgeons.

We continue to advocate for a complete overhaul of the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966 which is outdated and no longer fit for purpose.

Despite our disappointment with the sentencing, we are optimistic about our ability to convict these conniving, calculated clinics and have had success in pushing similar operations underground or forcing them to close completely.

How you can help

As the only unit in Scotland tackling crimes against animals, we counting on you to report suspicious activity concerning canine fertility clinics or any other suspected animal crimes in your area.

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