A man who paid £1,000 ($1,300) for a border collie puppy watched as it passed away in his arms just six hours after he bought it.
Heartbroken Richard Gray believes he and the puppy - which he had called Bear - were the victims of callous puppy farmers.
When Mr Gray saw the dog advertised on Gumtree, he contacted the seller to buy it and paid £1,000 in cash.
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Mr Gray, from Fife, Scotland, said: "I'd been looking for a dog for ages for my little girl's 10th birthday later this month.
"I've got severe epilepsy and can't work so it took me a while to save up enough money.
"When I saw collies advertised in a video looking full of life, I contacted the seller who said she was based in Glasgow.
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"I told her I'd manage to get to her with the money on Monday but she said she'd bring the pup to me. She said she wanted cash."
Mr Gray said the woman selling the puppy was aged between 25 and 30 with an Irish accent.
He claims she turned up to his home at about 6pm and 'swiped the cash' from his hands and 'practically threw the dog' at him before making a run for it back to her car.
He added: "I knew straight away there was a problem and when I got inside and tried to put the dog down, he couldn't stand. He just flopped to the floor."
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Saying that the puppy 'didn't look at him, but looked through him', he went on: "It was utterly horrific. I tried feeding him through a wee tube but he locked his jaws. I phoned the vets but nobody could come out.
"I knew Bear was going to die so I made him as comfortable as I could and at 12.29am - just over six hours after I got him - he took his last breath and died in my arms."
After passing away, Bear was wrapped up and put in a box with one of his toys and Mr Gray took him to the vets the next morning where he was cremated.
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Kingdom Veterinary Centre in Glenrothes passed the case on to the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) who confirmed that a report has been received about the incident.
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