CONVICTED (2016) | commercial breeder Margaret Mazan, born 07/02/1961, and husband Gary Mazan, born c. 1963, of Bradford, West Yorkshire – kept 14 Red Setters in the “worst conditions ever seen” by an RSPCA inspector.
Pedigree breeders Margaret and Gary Mazan had their dogs seized by the RSPCA and police on January 15, 2014 after concerns were raised by a Bradford Council dog warden.
During the raid they found some of the dogs were being kept in filthy cages in a shed, and others in cramped cages in the kitchen.
RSPCA Inspector Emma Ellis said: “The smell in that shed is one that I will never forget and when I look at the photos now the smell comes straight back to me.
“When the shed was opened, the smell literally knocked you over, you had to back off.
“These were the worst conditions I’ve ever seen dogs kept in.
“They couldn’t move and their fur was all matted and covered in faeces.
“Many of them had injuries to their tails where they had been crushed against the cages.
“The way that they were being kept was wholly unacceptable.”
As inspector Ellis attempted to open a gate, the dogs tried to get out and were jumping up with their heads through the bars.
When the dogs were removed, they dragged inspectors towards a white receptacle in the garden which contained a small amount of water.
All the dogs put their heads in there and drank the water before licking it dry.
Another setter was found in the kitchen, in a cage so small it could not stand up and there was no food or water.
A further setter was found in the bathroom with faeces on the floor.
All of the dogs needed veterinary treatment for dehydration, injured tails, eye conditions and had to be “dematted”.
In April 2015 Margaret and Gary Mazan were jailed by magistrates for six months and banned from keeping pets for life for animal welfare offences.
The jail sentence was later reduced to four months on appeal.
The couple then took the case to the High Court but their pleas were thrown out in February 2016.
In late March 2016 Judge Robert Bartfield activated the original punishments, commenting that he “totally accepted” the RSPCA and police evidence.
The court was told that boarding and veterinary costs for the dogs had run to more than £45,000, and an order to recoup £4,976 from the Mazans to cover the legal costs of the appeal hearings was refused after the pair said they had no savings, with Margaret Mazan claiming she had just £45 in the bank.
Sentencing:
Four months in jail. Banned from keeping any animals for life.
Update March 2020
Cypriot animal welfare organisation Cyprus Animal Defenders – CALF reported on their Facebook page that the Mazans have divorced with Margaret Mazan now living in Peyia, Paphos in Cyprus. She was apparently employed as a chef in a restaurant called Coral Bay but was dismissed after the English owners were made aware of her past as a convicted dog abuser.
Further unconfirmed reports from around the same time indicate that Margaret Mazan may be working as a dog groomer (of all things) for a charity called Animal Rescue Cyprus Reg.No.4420.
