FIVE puppies from the same litter died within days of being sold prompting distraught dog lovers to warn of the dangers of buying puppies from unregistered breeders in Barnsley.
Veterinary tests revealed the pups were only five or six weeks old and had died because they were infested with worms.
Their upset owners have been left facing vet bills ranging from £300 to £1,000 each and tearful families left mourning their lost pets.
Sheryl Tasker paid £70 for the Labrador/Akita cross puppy she called Kita.
"Then they said she was too young to have been taken away from her mum and was riddled with worms. I want people to be made aware of the dangers of buying puppies when you don't know that much really about how they have been bred or looked after.
"All I've ended up with is vet bills for £300, an upset family and no family pet."
** The full story appears in the Barnsley Chronicle, dated March 13. **
