CONVICTED (2022) | Jason Zachary John White, born 4 March 1989, of The Plot, Holwell, Sherborne DT9 5LG – kept four large dogs confined in cars for nine months and subjected them to ‘brutal’ treatment.

White pleaded guilty to three counts of failing to undertake the duty of a person responsible for an animal to ensure its welfare.

Prosecuting for the RSPCA, Matthew Knight, said at the time of the offending, the defendant had four dogs and was homeless, living in a car in a car park in Sherborne.

White had two German shepherds named Chester and Pickles and two huskies named Marley and Teddy. He said between March 13 and April 22, 2021, White used inappropriately harsh, and potentially painful or frightening disciplinary, training, handling or control methods.

White was also found to be keeping his dogs confined in cars for a period of nine months and was failing to give the dogs access to an adequate supply of clean drinking water.

A neighbour said he saw White’s dogs kept in cars for 24 hours or tied to a gate outside.

The neighbour was said to have also seen the defendant shouting and being physically aggressive to the dogs and collected a number of video and audio clips.

There was said to be video of the defendant shouting aggressively at the dogs as well as a clip of White showing one of the dogs his fist and the dog ‘cowering’.

On April 22, 2021, police and RSPCA attended and found three dogs kept in a car, which had its front seats removed and had no wheels. The windows of the car were closed and faeces and urine covered the floor.

Another dog was in a separate car which had its window open ‘slightly ajar’ and also had faeces and urine on the floor.

The dogs were seized and taken to a vet who examined them.

The vet said that keeping the dogs in cars was ‘unacceptable’ and concluded that the dogs were thirsty and were not being fed sufficiently.

The treatment of the dogs was said to be ‘brutal’ and ‘counterproductive’.

The dogs were taken away from White and put into the care of the RSPCA.

Mitigating, Simon Lacey, said: “The dogs were and still are really important to my client.”

He said one of the dogs, Teddy, was not very well and had to be put down while they were in the RSPCA’s care. He said White was able to be present and held Teddy as he was put down.

Mr Lacey said before the offending, White had a good job in Cornwall where the dogs were happy, but that issues with drugs and alcohol meant he decided to move to Dorset and started living in his car.

Whilst homeless, White struggled with his emotional and physical health, and suffered with a skin condition which sometimes made it hard for him to walk.

He said White accepts that he used inappropriate techniques to train his dogs and that he used inappropriate physical contact but not that he used a weapon or hit the dogs in a way that would harm them.

Mr Lacey said: “He has taken steps to sort his life out. He knows his care was inadequate and he regrets it, but he loves his dogs.”

Chair of the bench, David Ruston, made an order disqualifying White from owning or keeping a dog for three years and transferred the ownership of the remaining three dogs to the RSPCA.

Sentencing | 12-month community order with 20 rehabilitation activity days and 120 hours of unpaid work; £215 in costs and a surcharge. THREE-year ban on keeping dogs (expires May 2025).

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