A MAN has been jailed for 18 weeks and banned from keeping dogs for his part in an illegal dog breeding business near Whitchurch.
Robert Bransby of Cae Pentre, Brynteg in Wrexham appeared in Kiddeminster Magistrates Court on Monday, January 30 and he pleaded guilty to breeding and selling puppies without a licence in a Tilstock property.
In addition to being jailed, he was banned from keeping dogs for 15 years and also ordered to pay £600 costs and a £128 victim surcharge.
West Mercia Police and the RSPCA launced the investigation following complaints from members of the public who bought puppies which became ill and they found 35 dogs in the property when they carried out the raid in on February, 24 2021 and RSPCA inspector Kate Parker, who led the investigation spoke about the conditions.
She added: "There were wooden sheds with stable type doors.
"Inside I could see a typical breeding set up for puppies, with a heat lamp angled over a plastic dog bed, an empty bowl and some soiled rags inside the bed.
"Inside a lean-to type construction there was a row of metal constructed kennels.
"There was a thin layer of sawdust on the concrete floor, clutter, household items and electrical cables dangling inside, accessible by the dogs housed in each."
In addition to Bransbury, a woman pleaded guilty to 17 animal welfare offences and was sentenced to 22 weeks in custody, handed a life time ban on keeping animals and ordered to pay costs of £44,000.
Another woman pleaded guilty to nine offences and was given a 12 week custodial sentence, suspended for 10 months and given a 10 year ban on keeping all animals.
She was ordered to pay costs of £20,000.
RSPCA animal centres in Leicester, Birmingham and Aylesbury, assisted by a number of the charity’s fosterers, took in the animals, who have been rehomed.
Speaking after the hearing, chief inspector Ian Briggs from the RSPCA's special operations unit urged people to be aware of who they might be buying from.
He said: "We'd always encourage anyone thinking of getting a puppy to adopt rather than buy, and to do lots of research first to ensure they source a dog responsibly."
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