Man found guilty of illegally breeding dogs

A man has been ordered to pay more than £5,000 costs after pleading guilty to breeding puppies without a licence.

Derek Hall of Rosliston Road, Walton on Trent pleaded guilty following prosecution by South Derbyshire District Council at Southern Derbyshire Magistrates Court.

The Council’s Licensing Team inspected Mr Hall’s property in January 2018 and discovered four litters of puppies had been bred at The Pastures, Rosliston Road, Walton-on-Trent, Derbyshire.

One litter was three days old, another litter was three weeks old and the other two litters were approximately eight weeks old. They also found a number of occupied and unsuitable kennel and stable units on the premises.

The dogs, which were said to be nervous of human contact, were then inspected by South Derbyshire District Council’s Safer Neighbourhood Wardens who confirmed that they had not been microchipped.

In addition, a request to online classified advertising site Preloved confirmed that a further litter had been sold.

Following a complaint in 2016, Hall had been told he would need a license if breeding dogs. No evidence of unlicensed breeding was found at that time.

Advice has now been given by the Council’s Licensing Team on what is required in order to get a licence. 

 Ardip Kaur, Legal and Democratic Services Manager & Monitoring Officer said:

“This case raises awareness of the rules and regulations of breeding dogs, and the consequences you face if you fail to follow the law. We take breeding dogs without a licence seriously. I am pleased to see the Council have achieved a successful prosecution. I would encourage potential dog owners to dig a little deeper and look where they are buying from."

More information about dog breeding in South Derbyshire is available online at “www.southderbyshire.gov.uk/our-services/licensing”

The Breeding of Dogs Act 1973, Breeding of Dogs Act 1991 and The Breeding and Sale of Dogs (Welfare) Act 1999 require a person running a dog breeding establishment to obtain a licence.

Hall pleaded guilty and was ordered to pay a £1,000 fine and a victim surcharge of £100 as well as legal costs which totalled up to £5,645.79.

For more information and guidance about animal licensing, visit the Council’s website: www.southderbyshire.gov.uk/our-services/licensing

1 March 2019