Officers from Shirebrook Safer Neighbourhood Team attended Brian Birch’s home in September 2022. At the again of the home they discovered 17 dogs of varied breeds dwelling in filthy circumstances – with faeces and urine masking the backyard.
The animals had been seized and brought to kennels and when checked they had been discovered to be riddled with fleas, their paws had been bleeding because of the soiled circumstances wherein they had been dwelling, and so they had been struggling with worms.
As nicely because the dogs, two rabbits and two malnourished ferrets had been additionally seized. In the ferret cage, the our bodies of between 5 and ten useless ferrets had been additionally discovered piled on prime of each other.
Fourteen of the dogs had been in a position to be rehomed, nonetheless, two needed to be put down. The two rabbits and two ferrets had been taken by the RSPCA.
Birch initially denied any wrongdoing however finally pleaded responsible to failing to make sure the welfare of an animal and inflicting pointless struggling to an animal.
The 30-year-old, of Ash Grove, Shirebrook, appeared at Southern Derbyshire Magistrates’ Court on September 29 the place he was handed a 25-week jail suspended for twenty-four months, and was banned from conserving animals for 15 years – apart from a Jack Russell which the courtroom allowed him to maintain – and ordered to pay £4,000. The identical expenses towards a 29-year-old girl from the city had been dropped on the courtroom and no proof was supplied.
Sergeant Mark Church who leads the policing workforce in Shirebrook, mentioned: “The conditions in which Brian Birch kept these animals were nothing short of horrific. It was clear that all the animals were suffering due to his lack of care and would have been clear to him.
“The ownership of an animal is a serious responsibility and Birch showed that he was categorically unable to handle that responsibility. While the court has allowed him to keep one of the dogs, I am happy to report that the majority of those dogs that were seized are now living happy lives with new owners.”
Anyone who witnesses animal cruelty can contact the RSPCA on 0300 1234 999 or by visiting their reporting page.
