CONVICTED (2024) | Alison Denise Silk, born 20 December 1956, of The Rath, Camrose, Haverfordwest SA62 6JP – kept 30 ailing poodles in appalling conditions
Alison Silk, a breeder trading under the name Silkmountain Poodles, kept 30 poodles in “disgusting and filthy” conditions on her farm near Haverfordwest.
The court was told that RSPCA officer Keith Hogben and a Pembrokeshire County Council dog warden visited Rath Farm on September 4, 2023..
A statement provided to the court from Inspector Hogben said that as he entered the front door, he could smell “a very unpleasant smell of dog faeces and urine”.
Inspector Hogben added: “The door to the kitchen was closed and as the door was opened a large number of dogs greeted us. The dogs were all barking and each of the dogs were heavily matted.”
He was next shown into a conservatory and he described the scene: “The room was very hot with dogs in cages and large amounts of faeces both fresh and trodden into the floor. Any bedding in the dog cages was soiled and there was no water in this room for any of the dogs.
“Again, the dogs in this room had heavily matted coats which were contaminated with faeces. I did not see any windows open. We were then shown to the dogs at the rear of the property that were kept in two runs. The back garden was covered with dog faeces of various ages and had obviously not been cleaned for many weeks/months, by the door to the conservatory was a wheelbarrow with dog faeces in it.”
There were eight dogs, all with heavily matted coats with no water in the first kennel and there were two rabbit-type feeding bottles on the bars of the run which were both empty.
Inspector Hogben said: “Inside the kennel was a large amount of faeces and hardly any bedding in the sleeping area, just a couple of plastic dog beds. In the other dog kennel were five male dogs all with matted coats and again no access to water, this kennel also had two rabbit-type water bottles on the bars but both were empty.
“There was a large build up of faeces in this kennel which had not been cleaned out for a very long time. The door to the kennel could not be opened fully due to the build up of faeces. These dogs were then let out by Alison Silk and they started to drink from a bucket containing green coloured water.”
A vet who attended confirmed that all the dogs would need to be removed due to their body conditions and their environment. A witness statement was also provided to the court by a vet who examined the 30 dogs at RSPCA Merthyr Tydfil Veterinary Clinic, between September 5 and 7, 2023.
She said: “The dogs all had severe matting over the majority of their bodies with faeces and urine within the matts and a very strong smell of faeces and urine, with the exception of one who showed signs of being recently groomed but still had heavy matting on one leg (with faeces in), his tail (with faeces in), and the tip of his prepuce (with urine in).
“Another dog had some small clip patches indicating a partial attempt at grooming but was still heavily matted including one ear being matted to the side of his head. Many of the dogs had large matts under their chins soaked in water, as they were unable to drink without dipping the matts in water. Seven of the dogs had live fleas seen when examined. All dogs apart from one were underweight.”
Many of the dogs were in need of medical procedures, the court heard.
The vet added: “Twelve had severe dental disease and were likely in need of teeth extractions. Seven others had at least moderate dental disease and would benefit from having their teeth cleaned and assessed under a general anaesthetic. Seventeen had signs of ocular disease.
“Many had matts hanging over their eyes and a few had matts formed between hair on their upper and lower eyelids on at least one eye, partially holding their eyes shut. The most likely cause of the eye issues seemed likely to me to be local irritation from the matts or the level of faeces and urine in the environment, but I cannot rule out an infectious cause.”
It was heard that all dogs had flea treatment applied and were wormed and vaccinations were also given.
The vet added: “Where possible, fur was clipped to allow better movement and comfort, as the level of matting in almost all of these dogs was severe enough that it was limiting joint movement and the heaviness of the matts would be pulling on the skin and causing discomfort.”
Further grooming was then carried out at animal centres and boarding establishments.
Five young male and one female poodles went to Greenacres Animal Rescue for rehoming, with the others were taken into the care of RSPCA centres and RSPCA branches for rehoming.
Sadly, one dog was put to sleep on welfare grounds.
The final seven dogs who, following the hearing, had been signed over to the RSPCA, will now be rehomed.
Video footage and photographs were shown to District Judge Mark Layton which displayed the filthy conditions inside the property. The RSPCA officer could be heard saying, ‘This is pretty disgusting.”
Silk pleaded guilty to three charges of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal and an additional charge of not taking steps to ensure the needs of her 30 poodles were met.
Silk, who represented herself, told the court she was sorry and spoke about her family circumstances and health issues in mitigation
Sentencing | 26 weeks in custody suspended for 12 months; 10 days of rehabilitation activity; £10,300 costs and £134 court surcharge. Disqualified from keeping, dealing and transporting animals for ten years.