CONVICTED (2023) | backyard XL bully breeder Lee Joseph Rajas aka Lee Boyle, born 20 May 1992, of 15 Sandfield Road, Bradford BD10 8JD – kept five dogs “paddling in their own urine and faeces” in cages where two decomposed dogs were found.

Rajas, whose known trading names were Unaffordabulls, LB Bullys, and LRR Bullys, was sentenced to 18 weeks in jail and handed a lifetime ban on keeping animals after being found guilty in his absence of three animal welfare offences.

The dogs, some of whom had cropped ears, were found in the back garden of Rajas’ previous address in Tyersal Walk, Tyersal, Bradford, in cages that appeared to be too small, covered in their own mess and with no access to food or water, in October 2022.

This visit was by West Yorkshire Police for an unrelated matter, but the RSPCA had already offered Rajas advice back in 2021 about the unsuitable conditions.

Louise Freeman, for the prosecution, said: “They were paddling in their own urine and faeces in cages.

“In the back garden, there was a big pile of faeces.”

An RSPCA officer then attended with police.

In a court statement RSPCA inspector Joanne Taylor described how there were six kennels at the property, with four of them holding a total of five live dogs – three XL bullies, a French bulldog and one British bulldog.

Each kennel had faeces on the floor, empty food and water bowls and soiled bedding.

Inspector Taylor said: “I could smell faeces whilst still in the house.

She added: “The garden was full of faeces. Two bags of faeces were split open and the contents spilled out onto the floor by the patio doors.”

There were a large number of flies inside the two other kennels and the RSPCA officer discovered two dead dogs infested with maggots, that were each in such an advanced stage of decomposition to their breed could not be determined.

Inspector Taylor said: “The body [of the first dead dog] was pressed up against a pressure washer and was in such a state of decomposition that the skin had slipped off exposing the muscle covering the skull, hips and rear leg. I could see the ribs, spine and hips bones.

“[The second dead dog] was in a more advanced state of decomposition. There was no fur on the skin. I could see the ribs, spine and hips. There were maggots in two main areas over the skull and back end but there were maggots present over the whole body. The body looked like it had begun to melt into the floor.”

The court heard that two days later, inspector Taylor returned to the property to arrange an interview with Rajas, and on arrival Rajas approached her van and said: “The conditions aren’t too bad to be honest they are okay.”

Rajas said that the two “dead ones” had died from parvo virus the day before the RSPCA visited, adding that they were not in “good nick” when he got them.

Rajas said he owned three of the dogs with the remaining four belonging to family members. He claimed he had taken on responsibility for them three weeks prior to the charity’s visit.

Ms Freeman told the court that there was a van parked on the drive of the property which had livery “suggesting dogs were being brought up on a commercial basis”.

The court also heard an advertisement for Raja’s XL bully social media pages was on the side of the building.

All five surviving dogs were seized by police, taken to a vet for a check-up and then handed to the RSPCA for care.

Sadly, one of them had to be put to sleep after suffering from a burst stomach tumour, while another was returned to the previous owner.

The other three dogs have been signed over to the charity.

In mitigation, Rajas’ defence solicitor said that there was “very little that could be said in mitigation other than he stood by the fact that his dogs were in good condition”.

Following the conclusion of the case, investigating RSPCA inspector Adam Dickinson said: “This is a distressing case which saw seven dogs living in unhygienic and unsuitable conditions – it is a basic welfare need to provide water and food to dogs and to ensure that they are living in a suitable environment.

“We will never know for certain why two of the dogs had died – it is very sad that in their final days they were living in such terrible conditions. Anyone who keeps pets should ensure that their needs are met at all times, of which a suitable living environment and access to clean, fresh drinking water are imperative for their welfare.”

Sentencing | immediate 18-week prison sentence; victim surcharge of £154.29. Lifetime ban on keeping animals.

YorkshireLive
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