Man banned from keeping animals after dogs found 'stacked in crates'

SIX OF SEVEN DOGS WERE SADLY PUT TO SLEEP

- By LAURA CROSS

A MAN who kept dogs in cramped conditions has been given a suspended prison sentence, as well as being disqualified from keeping animals for ten years.

The RSPCA said they found a number of dogs 'stacked up in dirty cages in a vehicle on a warm day in East Yorkshire last summer.

Ian Welbourn, 68, of no fixed abode, appeared at Sheffield Crown Court on September 9 and was handed a 20-week prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, and told to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work. He pleaded guilty to three Animal Welfare Act offences at an earlier hearing.

The court heard that on June 23 last year, an officer from Humberside Police had stopped at land adjacent to the M62 and Tom Pudding Way near Goole. A red van was parked which looked as though it hadn't been moved for a long time, and as he approached the vehicle he heard dogs barking and became aware of a heavy smell of excrement.

Inside the van were five large German Shepherd/Malinois type dogs in small crates. There was food on the floor but it was inaccessible to them and none of the animals had access to water

It was a warm day with the temperature recorded as 23C. Two small windows were open but there was inadequate ventilation.

Welbourn then turned up at the location in an agitated state and said he had another vehicle close by with a further dog inside. This van contained a large German Shepherd type dog which was living in the same conditions as the others.

He was arrested for an unrelated matter, and the dogs were reported to the RSPCA.