'Horrible nightmare' of dog-petting experience

Rhianne Aitken worked at the Golden Retriever Experience from May to August 2023

A woman who worked at a dog-petting experience says the job quickly became a "horrible nightmare" as the animals were kept in "disgusting, unclean and cramped" conditions.

Dog walker Rhianne Aitken, 34, helped look after animals at the Golden Retriever Experience in Somerset from May to August 2023.

The owner of the attraction, 62-year-old Nicolas St James, was given a suspended prison sentence and banned from owning dogs for 10 years on Tuesday, after pleading guilty to animal welfare charges.

A spokesperson for the Golden Retriever Experience said improvements had been made and the attraction was "pleased the matter was behind" them.

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North Somerset Magistrates' Court was told the animals were kept in unclean and overcrowded conditions, with little access to fresh water, which left the retrievers fighting over limited resources.

The RSPCA said the dogs were found in overcrowded conditions

Ms Aitken, who was one of the staff members who reported St James, said one of the dogs was very nervous and put into cramped conditions with other animals who he was not used to being with.

He was later mauled to death, staff said.

"He wasn't part of the pack and they obviously turned on him and that's why he would have got mauled.

"He was such a lovely dog and deserved so much better," she said.

Ms Aitken lived in a caravan on the site during the week and would help look after the dogs.

'We cared so deeply'

But she and other members of staff grew increasingly concerned with conditions in the house and they contacted the RSPCA.

"The dogs didn't have any toys and, if it wasn't for the other girls and I, they would not have had love and affection," she said.

"We cared so deeply for them and it was horrible to witness," Ms Aitken added.

Another former staff member, Maisie Lang, said "there was no control" at the site.

"The dogs weren't getting properly looked after," she said.

Ms Lang added the house where the dogs lived was "dirty"

"At the end of the day I would have black coming out of my nose," she added.

Rhianne Aitken said members of staff tried to give the dogs lots of love and affection

The site was visited by the RSPCA and Somerset Council on 28 May 2024 and investigators found the dogs in poor conditions, with some animals fighting and killing each other.

St James, from Carhampton in Minehead, was subsequently charged and 30 golden retrievers were seized.

Ms Aitken said she was "proud" that members of staff had managed to make a change for the dogs.

"It would have just kept happening and happening.

"The RSPCA always reassures us they're now in good homes and are well looked after," she added.

Following the removal of the attraction's licence, the dogs were rescued by the animal charity and most were moved to its facility in Cornwall.

Suzanne Norbury from the RSPCA said the dogs had since been fostered or adopted.