A series of failings allowed a north-east property to be used as an illegal puppy farm, a campaigner has claimed.
Nearly 90 dogs and puppies were seized from a property at East Mains of Ardlogie on Tuesday when Scottish SPCA officers stormed the home.
The animal charity described the scene as potentially one of the largest illegal farms in the country.
All of the dogs have been taken to a centre in Glasgow to recover following the bust and vets believe some are no more than five days old.
It is the second time the site has been raided by the charity.
In 2013, officers seized 72 dogs from “horrific” conditions as part of a wider operation to stop illegal breeding.
Three members of the same family admitted setting up the farm and received banning orders at Aberdeen Sheriff Court,
In the latest swoop, more than 100 animals were taken away from the site, including rabbits and ferrets.
Last night a local campaigner, who did not want to be named, said the site was “known” to have been used to house dogs.
Last year, a puppy breeding licence was sought for the site – before being withdrawn at the 11th hour ahead of a ruling.
A separate application was later made in a different name to convert outbuildings on the farm into kennels.
A petition from concerned animal lovers was eventually signed by 7,500 people in an uproar against the scheme before councillors voted to refuse it.
The campaigner added: “The council have failed all round.
“I don’t feel they have done enough and they still aren’t doing enough.
“They have failed all of those dogs.
“They haven’t carried out the checks they should have.”
She said people knew the dogs were there.
“Maybe because the place is so remote they thought they would get away with it.
“I just hope at the end of the day all of these people are brought to justice. It should be a lifetime ban.”
Local councillor Anne Stirling said the news of the illegal puppy farm would “shock” the tiny community.
“The site was subject of a planning application and planning permission was refused when it came to committee,” she added.
“I think the community will be taken aback with the outcome of what was found and the activity was being carried out there.
“Animal welfare is taken very seriously by the council and the Scottish SPCA obviously felt that action had to be taken.”
A spokeswoman for Aberdeenshire Council confirmed that no breeding activity was approved for the site.
“We had not had any complaints from any third parties about puppy breeding on the site,” she said.
“We can confirm that they did not have a licence to breed dogs on the site and they also did not have planning permission.”
An undercover inspector for the Scottish SPCA said inquiries were ongoing to establish ownership of the animals.
“We can confirm that we attended a property in the Aberdeenshire area yesterday and seized 105 animals,” he said.
“Investigations are currently on-going and no further comment can be made at this point.”
