Category Archives: puppy farmers / traffickers, kennels, backyard breeders

Puppy farmers, kennels, backyard breeders

Dogs, Lifers, Pet Profiteering, puppy farmers / traffickers, kennels, backyard breeders

Fleur de Lis, Caerphilly: Colin and Ruth Williams

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CONVICTED (2024) | unlicensed backyard breeders Colin Williams, born c. 1977, and Ruth Williams ( née Ruth Sanders), born c. 1972, of Glanddu Road, Fleur de Lis, Blackwood NP12 3XT – for a catalogue of animal cruelty offences towards dogs and puppies they exploited for money.

Prosecution of prolific backyard breeders Colin Williams and Ruth Williams from Fleur de Lis, Blackwood, Caerphilly, Wales - for dog cruelty.

The couple were prosecuted followed an investigation by Caerphilly County Borough Council trading standards.

Together with officers from Gwent Police, a veterinary surgeon, and officials from neighbouring councils, a warrant was executed at the Williams’ home address in June 2023. The premises was suspected of being used for unlicensed dog breeding.

Prosecution of prolific backyard breeders Colin Williams and Ruth Williams from Fleur de Lis, Blackwood, Caerphilly, Wales - for dog cruelty.

Three French bulldogs, two British bulldogs and two cavalier King Charles spaniels were found severely confined in pens in one room with no access to water.

Prosecution of prolific backyard breeders Colin Williams and Ruth Williams from Fleur de Lis, Blackwood, Caerphilly, Wales - for dog cruelty.

One of the pens, which housed two other dogs was in an alcove under the stairs. The conditions provided insufficient space with the animals having no stimulation and unable to show normal behaviour.

Prosecution of prolific backyard breeders Colin Williams and Ruth Williams from Fleur de Lis, Blackwood, Caerphilly, Wales - for dog cruelty.

All nine dogs had conditions which caused them unnecessary suffering. The dogs were found to be suffering from skin, eye, ear and airway diseases.

The dogs were seized after being looked at by the vet and placed into the care of Hope Rescue. They have since been rehomed.

Prosecution of prolific backyard breeders Colin Williams and Ruth Williams from Fleur de Lis, Blackwood, Caerphilly, Wales - for dog cruelty.

Colin Williams, who used to run a business called Valley Ultrasound and Microchipping and now works as a window cleaner, admitted 17 charges under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, and one charge under Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 for not declaring he was a breeder when he advertised the dogs’ sale.

Prosecution of prolific backyard breeders Colin Williams and Ruth Williams from Fleur de Lis, Blackwood, Caerphilly, Wales - for dog cruelty.
Prosecution of prolific backyard breeders Colin Williams and Ruth Williams from Fleur de Lis, Blackwood, Caerphilly, Wales - for dog cruelty.

He also admitted a charge under the Welfare of Animals (Transport) (Wales) Order 2007 of the Animal Health Act 1981, for illegally taking two pregnant dogs to Heathrow Airport.

Ruth Williams admitted 15 cruelty charges under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and a charge under consumer protection law.

Prosecution of prolific backyard breeders Colin Williams and Ruth Williams from Fleur de Lis, Blackwood, Caerphilly, Wales - for dog cruelty.

Lyndsey Smith, rescue and adoption manager of Hope Rescue Centre, said: “Many of the dogs arrived with health issues so we were shocked to hear they were still being bred from.

“Amongst the group of dogs were a very nervous duo of cavalier bitches. They moved out to foster care together and developed such a lovely relationship – we just had to find them a home where they could stay together.”

Sentencing |
Colin Williams: jailed for four months. Indefinite ban.
Ruth Williams: eight-week prison sentence, suspended for 18 months. 10-year ban.
£12,000 costs.

Caerphilly Observer
South Wales Argus

Dogs, Pet Profiteering, puppy farmers / traffickers, kennels, backyard breeders

Huddersfield, West Yorkshire: Bridget Reilly and Andrew Keating

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CONVICTED (2024) | backyard breeders Bridget Reilly, born 15 October 1977, and Andrew Keating, born 11 September 1981, of 11 Brackenhall Road, Sheepridge, Huddersfield HD2 1EU – bred dogs without a licence.

Backyard breeders Bridget Reilly and Andrew Keating from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire.

Reilly and Keating pleaded guilty to breeding dogs without a licence, under Section 13 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006.

The case came to light when Kirklees Council Animal Health officers found evidence of the pair posting adverts for a range of breeds of puppies on various sales platforms.

Reilly pleaded guilty to 18 offences and was sentenced to two years’ community service and 15 days of rehabilitation activity.

She applied for a licence before attending court and is now a licensed dog breeder.

Keating pleaded guilty to 11 offences and was sentenced to 18 months’ community service and a further 25 days rehabilitation activity.

The outcome of the confiscation hearing will be heard in September 2024, which is when the financial penalties for the pair will be decided.

YorkshireLive
Kirklees Together

Animal Abandonment, Dogs, Pet Profiteering, puppy farmers / traffickers, kennels, backyard breeders, Worst of the Worst

Prescot, Merseyside: Leah Best and Dean Nevin

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CONVICTED (2024) | Leah Best, born 5 August 1999, and Dean Daniel Christopher Nevin, born c. 1996, of Hughes Avenue, Prescot L5* – abandoned their dogs to die after an argument.

RSPCA prosecution of Prescot couple Leah Best and Dean Nevin, who abandoned a dog and her three puppies in a filthy flat.

Peter Mitchell, prosecuting, shared photos of the couple’s Prescot flat which had been abandoned for at least two months between July and September 2023.

The RSPCA called on Merseyside Police to help gain entry to the property after dogs could be heard locked inside on September 19.

RSPCA prosecution of Prescot couple Leah Best and Dean Nevin, who abandoned a dog and her three puppies in a filthy flat.

Officers found a Staffy crossbreed named Lilly with her three puppies on top of a dirty mattress surrounded by urine and faeces. The court heard that the animals were “thin” and had “obvious skin conditions” due to months on neglect.

One of the puppies was sadly found dead underneath her mum,

RSPCA prosecution of Prescot couple Leah Best and Dean Nevin, who abandoned a dog and her three puppies in a filthy flat.

Mr Mitchell told the court that the six-month-old dog had been “visibly mauled” as the remaining dogs had “resorted to scavenging [her]” after she had died.

Elsewhere in the flat, RSPCA officers found that the dogs had chewed on empty tin cans as well as other bits of rubbish that was flung about the property.

RSPCA prosecution of Prescot couple Leah Best and Dean Nevin, who abandoned a dog and her three puppies in a filthy flat.

An RSPCA inspector spoke to Best via her social worker, the court heard.

She claimed she had walked out of the flat and gave Lilly to “someone on the stairs” but wasn’t able to tell the investigators who that was.

RSPCA prosecution of Prescot couple Leah Best and Dean Nevin, who abandoned a dog and her three puppies in a filthy flat.

Nevin was tracked down and interviewed where he accepted that he’d owned Lilly for around two years and her litter of puppies were “unplanned”.

He said that there had been a “big argument” before the couple, who have seven children between them, walked away from the property.

RSPCA prosecution of Prescot couple Leah Best and Dean Nevin, who abandoned a dog and her three puppies in a filthy flat.

Defending both, Joe Bleasdale, said: “I accept this does not make for pleasant listening. It is an enormously tragic case.”

He went on to appeal to the district judge that the couple stood before him are remorseful and both “wished they had done something sooner”.

Mr Bleasdale added that the pair have been cooperating with the courts and were aware of “just how serious” the situation is.

RSPCA prosecution of Prescot couple Leah Best and Dean Nevin, who abandoned a dog and her three puppies in a filthy flat.

District Judge Timothy Boswell branded what Best and Nevin subjected the animals to as “prolonged neglect”.

He said: “It seems to me that these dogs were a part of your family. You bear the responsibility to make sure they’re cared for and the pictures I’ve seen show the tragic consequences of your actions.

“These animals were left alone and hungry. Because of that one died and it is only through the work of vets that the remaining animals survived.”

He said that, despite all the evidence, he would not be sending them to prison. He said: “There are realistic prospects of rehabilitation and there would be a significant impact on your family if you were sent to prison.”

Sentencing | 26-week custodial suspended for a year. A five-year ban on keeping animals.

Liverpool Echo
Mirror
North Wales Live

*Alternative addresses:
Leah Best: Johnson Avenue, Prescot L35 5HD
Dean Nevin: Coronation Drive, Prescot L35 5ES

Dogs, Hoarders, Pet Profiteering, puppy farmers / traffickers, kennels, backyard breeders

Hamilton, Leicester: Sean Palmer

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CONVICTED (2024) | Sean R Palmer, born 19 September 1987, of Langtoft Road, Hamilton, Leicester LE5 1FU – found with 18 poorly dehydrated dogs inside his van after being stopped by police; breached a previous ban.

Other dogs discovered in cramped conditions in Palmer’s vehicle were severely underweight and had untreated wounds, with one later dying.

Palmer, who has links to Syston and Loughborough, was driving the white van when he was stopped by officers from the Leicestershire and Rutland Rural Policing Team on the A47 in Leicestershire last February during a routine procedure.

Inside the van, officers discovered 10 bulldogs and eight puppies all with a variety of welfare issues inside cages.

Three were even found wearing shock collars, while a number were underweight and dehydrated.

Untreated wounds were also found on a number of the dogs, with one dying of malnutrition before he could reach vets.

A subsequent investigation by police and the RSPCA revealed that Palmer had been handed a a three-year disqualification order on keeping dogs by Lincoln Magistrates in February 2022. .

Despite the order, Palmer admitted to owning all of the dogs, but claimed he was dealing with “personal issues” at the time. He told investigators he was also sleeping in the same van alongside the dogs.

Following an RSPCA prosecution, Palmer pleaded guilty to four animal welfare offences including “causing unnecessary suffering” and “failing to provide veterinary treatment” for the dogs’ injuries.

He was given a suspended prison sentence and woeful seven-year ban on keeping dogs.

Speaking after sentencing, RSPCA Inspector Richard Durrant said: “The conditions inside the van were shocking – to have such a large number in such cramped conditions.

“A vet deemed many of the dogs including the pups were suffering. We are so very grateful to the Leicestershire and Rutland Rural Policing Team for all their support in what was a very upsetting case.”

Sentencing | 15-month jail term suspended for two years; 25 rehabilitation activity days; 100 hours of unpaid work; £250 court costs. Banned from keeping dogs for seven years (expires March 2031).

Harborough FM
LeicestershireLive

dog attack, Dogs, Lifers, Pet Profiteering, puppy farmers / traffickers, kennels, backyard breeders

Halifax, West Yorkshire: Jodie Blezard

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CONVICTED (2024) | backyard breeder Jodie Leanne Blezard, born 11 September 1987, of Gladstone View, Siddal, Halifax HX3 9DH – failed to keep her dogs under control with one attacking a woman to her severe injury.

Idiot greeder Jodie Blezard from Halifax, West Yorkshire, allowed her dogs to be dangerously out of control, leading to one attacking a woman.

The victim had called to visit Jodie Blezard at her home in Halifax when she was “viciously attacked” by a Staffy crossbreed named Cally, causing blood to pour out of her neck.

As she was dragged to the floor she banged her head and was knocked unconscious.

Her wounds were so severe that they exposed her windpipe and required surgery.

The result was described at Bradford Crown Court as “significant cosmetic disfigurement” that left her voice impaired and her throat susceptible to infection.

Cally, who had recently had a litter of 11 pups, was removed along with Blezard’s other dogs. Callie was destroyed a month later.

Single mother-of-six Blezard pleaded guilty to being in charge of a dangerously out of control dog following the incident at her home on November 10, 2022.

The court heard that she had four dogs, three of whom were in the kitchen on the day of the incident, but that Cally was allowed into the living room.

The attack happened when the victim, who had been outside briefly, came back into the house and a baby gate became dislodged.

Mrs Recorder Taryn Turner said: “Very unfortunately, and in circumstances that will remain unclear, Cally attacked [the victim].”

Blezard had not seen the attack and, in an interview with police, said her animals were not dangerous. However she was “immediately remorseful” and apologised to the victim.

Idiot greeder Jodie Blezard from Halifax, West Yorkshire, allowed her dogs to be dangerously out of control, leading to one attacking a woman.

The court heard that Blezard had been spoken to in the past by various authorities about other dogs in her control, but that Cally had not been one of those animals.

Recorder Turner said: “You have a lot of children to look after, and it seems to me that if I were to impose an immediately effective custodial sentence today that would deprive them of their mother.

“You are truly apologetic and full of remorse for what befell [the victim] on that day when she popped in with a friend just for a chat.

“There is every reason to hope that something like this will never happen again because you don’t intend to keep dogs again.”

Sentencing | 16 months’ imprisonment suspended for two years plus 15 rehabilitation activity requirement days. Banned from keeping dogs for life.

Telegraph & Argus

Dogs, Pet Profiteering, puppy farmers / traffickers, kennels, backyard breeders

Stanhope, Kent: Edith Nixon

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CONVICTED (2024) | illegal dog breeder Edith Nishanthy Nixon of Monkton Close, Stanhope, Ashford TN23 5ET – neglected multiple puppies in her care, leading to many dying through malnourishment.

Local authority prosecution of illegal dog breeder and dog abuser Edith Nishanty Nixon from Stanhope, Ashford, Kent.

Nixon was prosecuted under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 for illegally breeding dogs. The case was brought by Ashford Borough Council.

She was responsible for breeding at least 10 litters of Pomeranian pups between 2020 and 2022 without holding an animal activity licence for dog breeding.

She advertised her dogs through social media and also placed adverts on classified site Freeads.

Local authority prosecution of illegal dog breeder and dog abuser Edith Nishanty Nixon from Stanhope, Ashford, Kent.

After receiving a complaint from a buyer of one of the dogs, the council carried out an investigation.

Nixon admitted that a number of puppies had died due to a lack of milk, and demonstrated a lack of basic care or knowledge which could have prevented the suffering and deaths of the pups.

She failed to act promptly when the pups were first noted to be subdued and lethargic, with a lack of understanding of how to tell if pups were dehydrated.

There was also no process in place to monitor the pups’ healthy growth and food intake through regular weighing.

Local authority prosecution of illegal dog breeder and dog abuser Edith Nishanty Nixon from Stanhope, Ashford, Kent.

On 13 March 2024, Nixon pleaded guilty to the offences at Folkestone Magistrates Court.

Cllr Liz Wright, Cabinet Member for Communities and Health, said: “This case sends out a clear message that the council will not tolerate the flouting of licensing laws that regulate this sector.

“The checks, inspections, and monitoring associated with licensing help to ensure that premises are suitable for dog breeding, that the licensee is competent, and that the welfare of the dogs and pups is not compromised through the breeding activity.

“It also acts to give buyers confidence that the pets they purchase come from a reputable breeder, who is subject to routine and unannounced inspection.”

Local authority prosecution of illegal dog breeder and dog abuser Edith Nishanty Nixon from Stanhope, Ashford, Kent.

Speaking after the court case, RSPCA Kent Chief Inspector Nick Wheelhouse said: “Puppies have become a valuable commodity and, unfortunately, that has attracted people who want to exploit them in order to make profit.

“Sadly, some breeders do not prioritise the health and welfare of their dogs, and unsuspecting members of the public unknowingly buy puppies who are sick.

“We’d urge anyone who is thinking of getting a dog to consider taking on a rescue instead of buying a puppy. Anyone who is looking for a puppy can use The Puppy Contract to help them buy a happy, healthy dog.”

Sentencing | 100 hours of unpaid work; costs of £2,701.50 and victim surcharge of £114. No mention of a ban.

ITV News
Kent Online

badger baiting, deer, Dogs, hunting with dogs, Lifers, Multiple Species, Organised Animal Crime, Pet Profiteering, puppy farmers / traffickers, kennels, backyard breeders, Serial Animal Abusers, Traveller Animal Crimes, Wildlife Crime / Bloodsports, Worst of the Worst

City of Lancaster, Lancashire: Tom Lloyd, Jay Jones and Steven Dixon

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CONVICTED (2024) | wildlife killers Thomas Graham Michael Lloyd, born 28 December 1986, of Slaidburn Drive, Lancaster LA1 4QX; Jay Stuart Jones born 5 March 1987, of Barley Cop Lane, Lancaster LA1 2PP; and Steven Dixon, born 9 November 1983 of 63 Keswick Road, Lancaster LA1 3LF – for sadistic cruelty towards multiple deer and at least one badger.

Lancaster men Tom Lloyd (left) and Jay Jones were both sent to prison for serious wildlife offences
Tom Lloyd (left) and Jay Jones were both sent to prison for serious wildlife offences

The sadistic trio were all convicted of a range of wildlife offences, including cutting a deer’s throat and restraining a deer to enable dogs to attack it.

Prosecution of wildlife criminal Tom Lloyd from Lancaster, and accomplices Steven Dixon and Jay Jones.
Tom Lloyd was the ringleader of the sick gang of criminals

Tom Lloyd pleaded guilty to four offences of causing unnecessary suffering to deer and a badger, with videos showing the deer’s neck being stood on to enable dogs to attack the animal, and the deer’s throat being cut repeatedly. He was sentenced to 33 months in prison and was disqualified from keeping dogs for life.

Jay Jones pleaded guilty to one offence of causing unnecessary suffering to a deer by restraining the animal to allow dogs to attack it. He was sentenced to 12 months in prison and was disqualified from keeping dogs for six years.

Steven Dixon pleaded guilty to one offence of causing unnecessary suffering to a deer by repeatedly cutting its throat. He was sentenced to 17 months in prison which was suspended for 12 months. He was also ordered to complete 20 rehabilitation days, a six-month mental health programme and 100 hours of unpaid work.

Prosecution of wildlife criminal Tom Lloyd from Lancaster, and accomplices Steven Dixon and Jay Jones.
One man was caught on camera slashing a terrified deer’s throat
Other videos showed dogs being set upon a badger and a deer

In February 2022, Lancashire Police seized a mobile phone from Jay Jones which revealed videos showing wildlife offences and the RSPCA were called to assist.

The charity’s Special Operations Unit (SOU) worked with police who executed warrants at premises occupied by all three defendants in May 2022.

Prosecution of wildlife criminal Tom Lloyd from Lancaster, and accomplices Steven Dixon and Jay Jones.. Dogs seized from two of the men.
Two dogs of the four seized from backyard breeders Tom Lloyd and Jay Jones were pregnant

Four dogs were seized: a black lurcher called Hector and a tan and white lurcher, called Chanelle from Lloyd; and a dark brindle lurcher, called Blaze, and a grey merle lurcher, called Dixie, from Jones.

Dixie and Chanelle were both pregnant and had puppies in the RSPCA’s care.

A number of videos showed the cruelty inflicted on deer and a badger.

A written statement, presented to the court in an expert witness report said: “The videos presented have been produced in darkness with the use of a lamp to illuminate the activity of a number of lurcher type dogs pursuing and attacking deer and a badger.

“Two videos indicate a male person to have repeatedly stabbed and cut the skin of the animal’s neck causing further suffering via the mechanism of pain while already being attacked by dogs.”

Prosecution of wildlife criminal Tom Lloyd from Lancaster, and accomplices Steven Dixon and Jay Jones.

In one of the videos, Lloyd, who is filming, says: ‘Here we are lads, got a stag’, and shows a deer that has been caught being attacked by dogs.

Later in the video, one of the men can be seen holding the deer’s head while he cuts its throat with a knife.

RSPCA SOU officer Jason Bowles, who led the investigation, said, after sentencing: “We investigate some horrific cases and, sadly, see animals suffering truly gruesome acts at the hands of people.

“The videos in this case are yet another example of the barbaric torture that we regularly see being inflicted upon wildlife we should all be trying to protect and help.

“Sadly, people who enjoy these hideous pastimes continue to offend across the picturesque, rural countryside of England and Wales. “But the RSPCA will not rest in bringing people like these to justice.”

Prosecution of wildlife criminal Tom Lloyd from Lancaster, and accomplices Steven Dixon and Jay Jones.
Tom Lloyd’s feral offspring are doomed to turn out just like their evil father
Prosecution of wildlife criminal Tom Lloyd from Lancaster, and accomplices Steven Dixon and Jay Jones.

Sergeant James Pinder, who led the warrants and searches for Lancashire Police, said: “The guilty pleas in this case were entered/im after a two year-long, detailed investigation by the RSPCA and Lancashire Police’s West Division Rural Task Force. I’d firstly like to praise the thoroughness and tenacity of those investigators.

“The extremely graphic nature of the many videos recovered shocked all who worked on the case.

“I welcome the sentences imposed and hope they send a clear message to those people who would seek to commit similar offences. “I would encourage anyone with information about the illegal persecution of wildlife to report it by calling 1010, or anonymously by calling Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”

Blaze, Chanelle (and her nine puppies), and Dixie (plus her seven puppies) can all now be rehomed.

Hector will remain in RSPCA care subject to a further court hearing regarding his ownership.

Lancaster Guardian
LancsLive

Dogs, Pet Profiteering, puppy farmers / traffickers, kennels, backyard breeders

Eglish, Dungannon, County Tyrone: Eugene Daly

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CONVICTED (2024) | notorious puppy farmer Eugene Daly, born 6 April 1982, of 88 Derryfubble Road, Dungannon BT71 7PW – transported very young and unwell puppies from Northern Ireland to Great Britain.

Prosecution of puppy farmer Eugene Daly from Eglish, Dungannon, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland

Company director Eugene Daly, operator of a dog breeding establishment (DBE) licensed for over 200 dogs by Mid-Ulster Council, was fined after admitting to a charge of ‘transporting a dog not fit for the journey’. The paperwork held by Daly was also inaccurate and fraudulent.

Daly, sole director of Hillside Kennels Ltd and Daly Transport Ltd, was prosecuted after a consignment of his puppies was stopped and examined at Belfast Port.

Prosecution of puppy farmer Eugene Daly from Eglish, Dungannon, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. Pictured with dog groomer girlfriend Sandra Millar, who is alleged to sell puppies on Daly's behalf
Puppy farmer and transporter Eugene Daly is pictured with dog groomer girlfriend Sandra Millar who is alleged to sell puppies on his behalf

The case arose as part of Operation Paws for Thought, a multi-agency initiative led by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) aimed at clamping down on the low-welfare trafficking of puppies between Northern Ireland and Great Britain.

Checks carried out on exports made by Daly discovered that destination addresses held for the puppies were false.

Veterinary examination of the puppies found that some of them were not eight weeks old.

Prosecution of puppy farmer Eugene Daly from Eglish, Dungannon, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. Pictured with dog groomer girlfriend Sandra Millar, who is alleged to sell puppies on Daly's behalf

Many seemed poorly socialised, had extended tummies and a pot-bellied appearance consistent with worm infestation.

The bedding in the cages appeared wet and quite heavily soiled. This contradicted Daly’s assertion that the puppies had only been loaded less than two hours previously.

Daly pleaded guilty and was fined £400 plus £15 offender levy.

ArmaghI

Additional Information

Daly’s partner is Sandra Millar of Stiloga Road, Eglish, Dungannon BT71 7QH. According to the anti puppy farming campaign group Do Better DoneDeal Millar, a dog groomer trading under the name Happy Tails, sells farmed puppies on her boyfriend’s behalf, while lying that they are home-bred.

Dogs, Organised Animal Crime, Pet Profiteering, puppy farmers / traffickers, kennels, backyard breeders

Derbyshire puppy farmers Stephen Buxton, Susan Heath, Oliver Lucas

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CONVICTED (2024) | Stephen Buxton of the Breach Cottage, Breach Lane, Sudbury, Ashbourne DE6 5HH, Susan Heath of 61 Foss Road, Hilton, Derby DE65 5BJ, and Oliver Lucas of Sudbury Park, Sudbury, Ashbourne DE6 5HU – ran an unlicensed puppy farm on which 28 dogs and puppies were kept in filthy and unsanitary conditions.

South Derbyshire District Council prosecution of cruel and greedy puppy farmers Stephen Buxton, Susan Heath and Oliver Lucas
Susan Heath and Stephen Buxton
Puppy farmer Oliver Lucas from Ashbourne, Derbyshire.
Oliver Lucas

In 2020 officers from South Derbyshire District Council were notified that dogs were being bred at the family home of Stephen Buxton without the necessary breeding licence. When council officers contacted Buxton, he denied this but was reminded of the legal obligations.

In 2021 council officers received intelligence that dogs were being sold on social media by owners using different names, but all based at Buxton’s address. A court warrant was obtained by the council and officers visited the premises on June 7, 2022.

A total of 28 adult dogs and pups were found in agricultural buildings at the site.

South Derbyshire District Council prosecution of cruel and greedy puppy farmers Stephen Buxton, Susan Heath and Oliver Lucas

Conditions were found to be cluttered and dirty, with extensive faecal and urine contamination. The premises was infested with flies and a dead rat was sighted .

The odour in the building was described as overpowering.

All of the dogs at the site were observed to be anxious, wary and in some cases afraid of contact with humans.

South Derbyshire District Council prosecution of cruel and greedy puppy farmers Stephen Buxton, Susan Heath and Oliver Lucas

Using powers granted under animal welfare legislation, council officers seized the dogs and transported them to a local kennels. Veterinary examination determined that they had all been neglected for a lengthy period

Three weeks after the warrant, all of the dogs were signed over to the legal control of the local authority.

All of the animals were returned to full health and were found permanent homes.

Following the council’s investigation, three people were charged with offences relating to unauthorised breeding of dogs and animal welfare offences. All three pleaded guilty to these offences.

South Derbyshire District Council prosecution of cruel and greedy puppy farmers Stephen Buxton, Susan Heath and Oliver Lucas

Stephen Buxton admitted one offence of causing unnecessary suffering, nine offences of failing to ensure welfare and two offences of breeding without a licence. He was sentenced to a 12-month community order with 190 hours of unpaid work and ordered to pay £114 victim surcharge and £5,000 contribution towards the prosecution costs.

Oliver Lucas admitted two offences of causing unnecessary suffering, three offences of failing to ensure welfare and one offence of breeding without a licence. He was sentenced to a 12-month community order with 100 hours unpaid work, ordered to pay a £114 victim surcharge and £2,000 contribution to the prosecution costs.

Susan Heath pleaded guilty to breeding without a licence and was fined £180. She was also ordered to pay a £72 victim surcharge and £400 towards the prosecution costs.

District Judge Flint remarked that they had prioritised money over animal welfare and should be ashamed of the conditions in which they kept the dogs. . He held Buxton as most responsible and the chief protagonist, as it was his property and he clearly knew that he should have been licensed. The judge commented that if he had been found guilty after trial, he would have looked at sending him to prison.

DerbyshireLive

Dogs, Pet Profiteering, puppy farmers / traffickers, kennels, backyard breeders

Caerphilly, South Wales: Simon Hobbs

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CONVICTED (2024) | backyard breeder Simon Hobbs, born 19 September 1977, of 23 Davies Drive, Caerphilly CF83 3RG – kept neglected and malnourished dogs in inhumane conditions.

Local authority prosecution of backyard breeder Simon Hobbs from Caerphilly, South Wales.

On 8 February 2024 Simon Hobbs pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to five dogs including a pregnant Belgian Malinois.

He was prosecuted following an investigation by Caerphilly Council’s Trading Standards team who executed a number of warrants, in June 2023.

Local authority prosecution of backyard breeder Simon Hobbs from Caerphilly, South Wales.

Trading Standards and Gwent Police officers accompanied by a vet carried out a search of Hobbs’ home and found six dogs in the kitchen with three of them – French bulldogs – housed in a very small cage.

Conditions in the kitchen were cramped, overcrowded and uncomfortable with little room to play, toilet and feed.

The dogs shared one food tray and two bowls of water.

Local authority prosecution of backyard breeder Simon Hobbs from Caerphilly, South Wales.

A pregnant Belgian Malinois was significantly underweight. She gave birth to eight puppies 10 days later.

An Akita was found in an outside lean-to wooden kennel in direct sunlight, with no soft bedding or enrichment. Temperatures recorded early in the day, exceeded 26 degrees, the maximum accepted temperature for dogs.

Local authority prosecution of backyard breeder Simon Hobbs from Caerphilly, South Wales.

Three dogs were found with conditions which caused them unnecessary suffering due to a lack of veterinary intervention and management.

The dogs were removed and placed into the care of Hope Rescue with the Malinois and her litter in need of intensive care to ensure their survival.

Local authority prosecution of backyard breeder Simon Hobbs from Caerphilly, South Wales.

Sara Rosser, Operations Manager of Hope Rescue Centre said, “We were pleased to be able to support the hard work of Caerphilly County Borough Council with this case. It was shocking to see so many dogs living in such awful conditions.

“The dogs needed vet treatment and specialist care – one of the dogs who especially touched and saddened us was the Malinois who we named Jinx.

Local authority prosecution of backyard breeder Simon Hobbs from Caerphilly, South Wales.

“As well as being in an awful condition, she was pregnant. We were very concerned that she would not have the strength to give birth and care for her litter but thanks for the hard work of the Hope Rescue Team, all eight puppies survived, and Jinx is now thriving.

“We are delighted that most of the dogs have already found loving new homes.’

Sentencing | ordered to pay £8,388.73 in fines, costs and a surcharge. He was disqualified from keeping all animals for five years (expires February 2029).

Wales247