Dog search led to discovery of 455 neglected animals

Ferrets and rabbits were found living in dirty, maggot-strewn cages and enclosures

When animal charity rescuer Lisa Dean got a tip-off to look for a missing dog at a farm, she did not know it would lead to the discovery of hundreds of neglected animals.

Ms Dean, founder of Beauty's Legacy, a charity that helps find lost and stolen pets, said she was helping a family find their pet dog when she received an anonymous tip to look at a farm in Nottinghamshire in 2023.

She said she saw animals in "abhorrent conditions" and alerted police, which eventually led to organisations including the RSPCA seizing 455 animals.

Lee Hayes, 52, owner of Croftfield Farm in Dawgates Lane, Skegby, admitted 25 offences under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and was handed a 12-month prison sentence.

About 70 horses and donkeys, more than 50 dogs and puppies, more than 170 guinea pigs, and one llama were seized.

Ms Dean said she was initially looking for a dog named Teddy and went to the farm to ask to get him back.

"We went to a lock-up, a big barn on the yard, and drew back the door and we just heard and smelt what sounded like hundreds of dogs.

"Teddy's microchipped and he knew the family as soon as we got him out," she said.

Lisa Dean said she was "thrilled that justice has been served"

Ms Dean said she also saw dozens of other animals suffering, which she said was "absolutely awful".

"In nearly 10 years of running Beauty's Legacy, I've never seen such obvious neglect," she said.

"They all looked sickly, they were all very crammed in. They were filthy, dirty, they were covered in their own mess, there were wounded animals.

"The cats all showed signs of having cat flu."

The RSPCA said more than half of the 59 horses and donkeys seized were in poor condition

Ms Dean returned to the farm with Nottinghamshire Police and once they saw the extent of the neglect and cruelty, the RSPCA was contacted.

A warrant was executed on 1 November 2023 and more than 100 staff from seven other animal charities helped with the rescue.

The RSPCA said it was one of the largest it had dealt with.

Animal officers said among the most severely neglected animals was an elderly German shepherd dog, which was tethered to a small kennel, struggling to walk due to arthritis and had to be put down.

A cocker spaniel was found to need hernia surgery and a number of puppies were caked in faeces and with urine scalds to their pads.

Donkeys and horses were found to be suffering from rotting feet, were underweight, and had not received any treatment for parasites and proper dental care. One donkey had to be put down.

The floors of barns and enclosures were deep in faeces and mouldy forage, leaving the animals "in squalor", the RSPCA said.

Several dogs were found to be dirty and ill, with a cocker spaniel needing surgery

Ms Dean, who also helped with the rescue, said: "They were in abhorrent conditions. The smell, I've never smelt anything like it.

"The pens hadn't been cleaned for a long time and they had no access to food and water."

She said she could see the animals were "frightened" and "distressed".

"It was shocking, I've never ever seen anything like it. The whole atrocity, it was awful.

"It's been very traumatic and harrowing, but I'm thrilled that justice has been served," she added.

Hayes was given a lifetime ban on keeping animals at Mansfield Magistrates' Court on 18 September.

Hayes's girlfriend, Tammy Heath, 33, of Moorland Close in Skegby, pleaded guilty to two animal welfare offences and received a 13-week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months.

She was banned from keeping canines for five years and will have to complete 200 hours of unpaid work.

The RSPCA said it would seek to reclaim hundreds of thousands of pounds in costs