The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
A man has been banned from keeping dogs for 10 years following a prosecution by the RSPCA.
James Adamson (56) of Birch Grove, Spalding, appeared before Lincoln Magistrates’ Court on December 3
He pleaded guilty to four offences; causing unnecessary suffering to three German Shepherd type dogs by failing to provide adequate or effective professional veterinary care and attention for their chronic skin disorders; causing unnecessary suffering to seven dogs by failing to provide adequate or effective professional veterinary care and attention for their conjunctivitis eye infections; failing to provide seven dogs with a suitable living environment; and failing to protect them from pain, suffering, injury or disease by failing to adequately maintain their coats in an appropriate condition.
He was disqualified from keeping dogs for 10 years and fined £1,000 and £300 costs and ordered to pay a £100 victim surcharge.
The dogs have all recovered and are doing well in RSPCA care and the court made a deprivation order for ownership to be transferred to the RSPCA – who will now look to find homes for them all.
RSPCA Inspector Andy Bostock attended the home of the defendant with his colleagues and Lincolnshire Police Rural Crime Unit who executed a warrant at the premises on July 15, 2021.
Inside a garage at the location he found four German Shepherd dogs – there were two dogs in two enclosures. Three of the dogs had matted coats and there was a strong smell of ammonia and none of the dogs had food or water.
A vet was contacted and shown footage of the conditions and confirmed the dogs were suffering and the dogs were then seized and taken into possession by the police.
Inside the property there were three further German Shepherd dogs in metal cages.
Inspector Bostock said: “The dogs were subdued and appeared to have skin conditions to varying degrees. There was an extremely strong smell of excrement and urine and the floor to the kitchen area was covered in excrement.
“The dogs appeared dirty and there was no food or water available for them inside the cages.”
The vet was again contacted and provided a vet certificate to say the dogs were suffering and they were also taken into possession by the police.
All the dogs continued to thrive in RSPCA care – and report by a vet who visited to keep tracks on their progress stated: “ If the owner of the dogs had followed the basic welfare guidelines and codes of practice and sought veterinary care, then the suffering to all the dogs could have been alleviated and avoided.”
Inspector Bostock added: “It was the vet’s professional opinion that the owner failed in their duty of care by not providing a reasonable and clean environment with adequate ventilation. The areas where the dogs were forced to live went from being unacceptable in the garage, to an environment which was not fit for human or animal habitation within the house itself in the kitchen area. Dogs are clean animals where they normally would defecate and urinate away from where they sleep.
“The vet also stated that whilst examining all dogs was fully aware of the stench of the coats on these animals which comes from living in a fetid environment which was totally unacceptable and inhumane. This was even more apparent from the poor, feted unkempt coats on three of the dogs where they were contaminated with pure filth.
“We had tried to work with the owner in the past and our advice and offers of help had not been taken on board.”
In mitigation the defendant had told the court they had been a championship winner and had bred dogs for years. But had been suffering from a number of personal problems including bereavement and he had to leave his job due to family circumstances and lost the accommodation as a result.
