A TILFORD property, where renewal of a dog breeder's licence was refused by Waverley Council two years ago, has become the subject of renewed investigations by the borough council, the RSPCA and Surrey Trading Standards. The probe follows an allegation that an Alsation puppy bought at Keepers Cottage a fortnight ago was suffering from the deadly parvo virus and had to be put down eight days later. Rachel Arnell-Shopland, a mother of four from Bognor Regis, told The Herald that she bought the pup from a woman at Keepers Cottage after responding to an advertisement in the Bognor Regis Observer and speaking to former breeder John Lowe on the phone. Mr Lowe, the man who was refused the licence to continue breeding dogs in 2004, has confirmed to The Herald that pups have been sold from the premises, but said they were nothing to do with him. He referred to a young woman who leases pens from him, but breeds so few dogs that she does not require a licence. "As a private person, she is allowed to have five litters of pups a year," he declared. And he explained: "I answer the phone for her if she isn't here and if I'm not here, she answers the phone for me." Mr Lowe, who said he makes his living building horse boxes and providing a horse- drawn carriage for weddings, said his only dealings with dogs nowadays involve selling on Alsations that have failed their police dog training. His licence renewal was refused by Waverley in 2004, following televising of a BBC South Inside Out undercover report. In the report, a vet was covertly filmed purchasing a German shepherd puppy which was found to have worms, fleas, ear mites, mange, a gut infection and a severe skin problem. At the time, the RSPCA had received 88 complaints about sick dogs and malpractice at Keepers Cottage Stud since 1999, including claims that dogs had died, or nearly died, within days of purchase. In February 2005, the council secured convictions for keeping puppies and their mothers in conditions that Waverley did not consider appropriate, for keeping a dog breeding establishment without a licence and for breaching his licence when it was in force by not taking reasonable measures to prevent disease and keeping more than the permitted number of dogs and mixed breeds in certain pens. Surrey Trading Standards also prosecuted Mr Lowe successfully for selling a cross-bred dog purported to be a pure-bred beagle. According to Mrs Arnell-Shopland, her four children, aged 10 to 20, have been left distraught at the loss of the puppy that they had named Milly. She told how she bought the puppy for £295 from a young woman at Keepers Cottage on Friday, July 21, but had to take it to the vets looking very sick and sorry the following Monday. "They said she was dehydrated and had a serious case of worms. I had been told that she was 14 weeks old and had been puppy innoculated, but the vet said she was just nine weeks." There Milly was to remain in isolation until she was put down last Saturday, considered too poorly to await the result of tests that had been taken for salmonella and parvo virus. Mrs Arnell-Shopland said the test result confirming parvo virus came back on Monday. The family had wanted to bury Milly in their garden, but because of the infectious nature of the virus, she had to be cremated. As well as the cost of the puppy, the incident has cost £469.83 in vets fees. "The vets were so sweet to us and because the children were so distraught, they waived the fee for putting her to sleep and the cremation," said Mrs Arnell-Shopland. She added that she does not regret buying Milly, however. "Because she was so ill, she would probably have died in the pen otherwise. At least she was looked after." The RSPCA, Surrey Trading Standards and Waverley Council all confirmed that they had received complaints from Mrs Arnell- Shopland, which were being investigated. A Waverley Council statement said the council was gathering evidence and taking legal advice and would like to hear from anyone who had purchased a puppy from the premises since February 7, 2005. "We are continuing to liaise with Trading Standards and the RSPCA and are also actively monitoring the free-ads and other publications to pick up suspect advertisements relating to the premises."