Breeders who neglected dogs given 10-year bans

Dogs were found "shaking and cowering", the RSPCA said

Four breeders who "wilfully ignored" the welfare of animals in their care have been given suspended jail terms and banned from keeping dogs for 10 years.

The Puppies at Home site – formerly Little Rascals – in Brant Broughton, near Lincoln, was raided by police and the RSPCA after tip-offs from former members of staff.

The raid led to the prosecution of Edward Swindells, 50, Bridgett Dickens, 62, Peter Dickens, 67, and Amy Allen, 42.

Dogs were found "shaking and cowering" after "suffering psychological distress and fear", and were "afraid of staff – not just strangers", the RSPCA said.

The charity said there were so many dogs at the site – 374 – that it took 19 vets to examine them all.

The raid took place in November 2018 after the RSPCA received videos and photographs from former staff.

Nottingham Magistrates' Court was told that all four breeders were guilty of "prolonged neglect", despite having been given advice from a local authority vet about the dogs' welfare.

The RSPCA said the breeders had taken "deliberate steps" to hide their behaviour, and "the defendants were well aware of the requirements for the welfare of the animals, and they wilfully ignored them".

The RSPCA said the defendants had "wilfully ignored" the welfare of the animals

Swindells, of The Clays, Brant Broughton, was found guilty of nine charges, including causing unnecessary suffering to dogs by failing to provide veterinary treatment. The convictions also related to mental cruelty.

At Nottingham Magistrates' Court earlier this month, Swindells was sentenced to 20 weeks in prison – suspended for a year – banned from keeping dogs for 10 years and told to pay £5,000 in costs.

The other three breeders all admitted failing to provide for the behavioural and emotional needs of dogs, and failing to provide suitable veterinary care and bedding.

Bridgett Dickens, of The Clays, Brant Broughton, and Peter Dickens, of Yeaveley, near Ashbourne, Derbyshire, were given 14 weeks in prison, suspended for a year, and told to pay £3,000 in costs.

Allen, of Jericho Road, Balderton, near Newark, Nottinghamshire, was also given a suspended sentence of 14 weeks, and was told to pay costs of £5,000.

All three were banned from keeping dogs for 10 years.

Following the case, a spokesperson for the RSPCA said: "The defendants kept a large number of dogs in terrible living conditions for their own profit. Not surprisingly, many of the pets suffered physical and mental harm as a result.

"Luckily, we were able to mount a successful investigation which got them to a safe place."

The charity praised the former members of staff who came forward and helped to bring "the ill-treatment of these dogs to an end".

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