An image, taken at Lowry's premises and shown to the court, of a dog in a draughty cage
An unlicensed dog breeder, who left a heavily-pregnant bitch locked in a filthy caravan, has been ordered to pay more than £5,500 and carry out 120 hours of unpaid work.
Owen Lowry, 35, of Plympton Hill, pleaded guilty to unlicensed dog breeding and two counts of animal welfare offences at Plymouth Magistrates Court on Thursday.
The court heard how following complaints about Lowry from members of the public in December 2020 and again in January 2021, a warrant was executed on his address.
A number of dogs were found on the premises, some in dirty, open fronted, draughty kennels, while others were in cages that were far too small.
One dog was found in locked, soiled crate in a modified shipping container while another pregnant bitch, who was very close to her whelping day, had been left in a dirty, dusty, cluttered old caravan that was covered in faeces and urine.
Straw had been provided for the dogs but in some cases it was very sparse and provided no cushioning.
The court heard that in October 2018, when new animal licensing regulations came into force, Lowry had contacted the Council to enquire about his licensing responsibilities.
He was given the relevant information about licensing in letters and in person but despite this, continued to breed and sell at least 11 litters of puppies, advertised at prices ranging between £600 and £2,200 per dog, after he had been told that he must not breed and sell dogs until he was licensed.
Copies of the blank application forms were found during the raid on the premises, along with government guidance on dog breeding. He later admitted in interview that he had not applied for a licence because he knew he could not meet the requirements.
Magistrates sentenced Lowry to undertake 120 hours of unpaid work and also handed him a 12 month disqualification order which bans him from dealing in dogs.
In addition, he was ordered to pay costs of £5,630.85 and a victim surcharge of £95.
Councillor Mark Shayer, Deputy Leader of Plymouth City Council, said: "As a dog owner myself, I am appalled that there are people who treat animals like this and I fully support the team using every piece of legislation they can to keep these kind of people out of the market place.
"Let this be a reminder to people who breed dogs without a licence or keep their animals in squalid conditions: we are serious about animal welfare. If you do not operate by the rules, we will investigate and we will prosecute.
"Residents of Plymouth deserve peace of mind while buying a pet and that is what these regulations give them."
The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 were brought in to improve animal welfare.
Selling animals as pets, dog breeding, providing boarding for cats or dogs (this includes home boarding), training animals for exhibition and hiring horses are all included in the regulations.
A person requires a licence for dog breeding if they breed more than two litters in a 12 month period or if they make profit from the sale of dogs.
Buying dogs from a licensed breeder ensures that the dogs are properly looked after. To obtain a licence, the breeder and dogs are regularly inspected and the breeder must comply with set welfare standards.
When a license is issued, a star rating is given based on welfare standards found at the time of the inspection. The star rating system is a national system to provide customers with information about the animal establishments.