CONVICTED (2023) | puppy farmer Robert Bransby, born c. 1986, of Cae Pentre, Brynteg, Broughton, Wrexham LL11 6AQ – illegally bred and sold dogs kept in atrocious conditions .
Rob Bransby was originally prosecuted by the RSPCA alongside mother Alison Bransby and sister Kayleigh Bransby in relation to an illegal dog breeding business at White House Farm, Hollins Lane, Tilstock, Whitchurch, Shropshire SY13 3NU. Although the women were sentenced in October 2022, Rob Bransby failed to show up at court.
He has now been sent to prison for 18 weeks and given a 15-year ban on keeping dogs for his role in the puppy farm after admitting breeding and selling dogs without a licence.
Thirty-five dogs, including cavapoos, cockapoos, dachshunds, Cavalier King Charles spaniels and terriers were found living in appalling conditions during a warrant carried out on February 24, 2021 by the RSPCA and West Mercia police.
The raid followed complaints from members of the public who had bought puppies and dogs from the farm which later became ill.
The family advertised ‘home-bred’ puppies for sale on different websites but the reality was a large-scale puppy farm with dogs housed in wooden sheds, pens and kennels, some barely bigger than a large rabbit hutch.
The court heard that the women had made £150,000 from illegally breeding and selling the puppies, and around £9,000 in cash was seized from a safe at the property during the operation.
In her evidence, Kate Parker, the RSPCA inspector who led the investigation, said: “There were wooden sheds with stable type doors.
“Inside I could see a typical breeding set up for puppies, with a heat lamp angled over a plastic dog bed, an empty bowl and some soiled rags inside the bed.
“Inside a lean-to type construction there was a row of metal constructed kennels.
“There was a thin layer of sawdust on the concrete floor, clutter, household items and electrical cables dangling inside, accessible by the dogs housed in each.”
RSPCA animal centres in Leicester, Birmingham and Aylesbury, assisted by a number of the charity’s fosterers, took in the animals, who have been rehomed.
Speaking after the hearing, chief inspector Ian Briggs from the RSPCA’s special operations unit, who assisted the investigation on the illegal selling, said: “We’d always encourage anyone thinking of getting a puppy to adopt rather than buy, and to do lots of research first to ensure they source a dog responsibly.”
Sentencing | 18 weeks of immediate custody; £728 in costs and victim surcharge. Banned from keeping dogs for 15 years.