Award-winning Spalding dog breeder left seven pooches to wallow in own excrement

Seven dogs were left without food and water to wallow in their own excrement by a Spalding man who has been given a 10-year banning order on owning dogs.

James Adamson, 56, of Birch Grove, Spalding appeared before Lincoln Magistrates’ Court on December 3, pleading guilty to four offences.

These offences were causing unnecessary suffering to three 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 again failing with attention and vet care for their conjunctivitis eye infections, failing to provide a suitable living environment for seven dogs, and failing to protect from pain, suffering, injury or disease.

He was disqualified from keeping dogs for ten years and fined £1,000 and £300 costs, as well as being ordered to pay £100 victim surcharge.

The dogs were left in a horrendous condition, with skin and fur issues as well as some having conjunctivitis. | Photo: RSPCA

Andy Bostock, an RSPCA inspector, attended Adamson’s home with the Lincolnshire Police Rural Crime Unit, who executed a warrant at the premises on July 15.

Inside a garage were four German Shepherd dogs, with two dogs in two enclosures. Three of the dogs had matted coats and a strong smell of ammonia was present in the garage; none of the dogs had food or water.

Inside the property itself there were three more German Shepherds in metal cages. A vet was shown footage of the dogs, confirming they were suffering, and he provided a certificate to allow for police to seize the animals.

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.

“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.”

Thankfully Viviana, Kesha, Arco, Tabu, Tameka, Vera and Ulrika all recovered and are doing well in RSPCA care, after a court order allowed the charity to take the animals and prepare them for rehoming.

“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 said he had been a championship winner and bred dogs for years, but suffered from a number of personal problems including bereavement as he left his job due to family circumstances, losing his accommodation as a result.