Puppies bound for Glasgow were found locked in squalid conditions in the back of a transit van at a ferry port.
Police who noticed a pungent smell coming from the driver's window discovered six little dogs covered in filth, with no food, water or decent place to rest when they looked inside.
Stephen McRea has since been banned from owning animals for 15 years after pleading guilty to failing to care for them properly.
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His grey Ford Transit was stopped at Loch Ryan Port, Cairnryan as it disembarked the ferry from Larne.
He claimed to be transporting a "couple of dogs" to family in the city, and when police asked to see the pups, they found the collies, sitting on urine and faeces soaked blankets inside a tiny cage.
The 29-year-old appeared in the dock at Stranraer Sheriff Court this week and was ordered to carry out 90 hours of unpaid work following the incident in December 2020.
The puppies were taken into the care of the Scottish SPCA and sadly three of them died after testing positive for the Parvo virus.
Speaking after the sentencing, Karon Rollo, Head of the Wildlife and Environmental Crime Unit of COPFS said: “I welcome the conviction and sentence in this case.
“Stephen McRea’s failure to meeting the most basic needs of these puppies and provide a suitable environment for them while they were his responsibility is wholly unacceptable.
“We are committed to tackling this type of offending and will continue to work with the Scottish SPCA and Police Scotland to ensure that those who commit such crimes face prosecutorial action.”
