Doncaster man handed 10 year animal ban after dogs found living in squalid conditions in vans
Seven dogs were found living inside vans in East Yorkshire - with six since being put down.
A Doncaster man has been handed a 10 year animal ban for keeping seven dogs in squalid conditions in vehicles.
68 year old Ian Welbourn, currently of no fixed address, was prosecuted by the RSPCA after the animals were found stacked up in cages in East Yorkshire last summer.
Welbourn was handed a 20-week prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, and told to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work after admitting to animal welfare offences.
The RSPCA were called out to the M62 and Tom Pudding Way near Goole last June after dogs were heard barking inside a van which had been parked up for some times.
Five large German Shepherd/Malinois type dogs were found inside without food or access to water.
RSPCA Deputy Chief Inspector Thomas Hutton, who was among officers to investigate said: “The five dogs were stacked up on top of each in crates."
"There was no obvious water or bedding for them. There was faeces in the base of some of the crates.
"As I removed the second dog I could clearly see she was missing her tail and all that remained was a bloody, black stump.
“As I removed them further, most had prominent ribs and hip bones with little to no fat covering.
"Once I secured them, I moved on to a green bus style van. Inside was another German Shepherd type dog which had minimal fat covering over the hips or ribs. There were no more dogs obvious to me in either vehicle.”
Welbourn later admitted two other dogs were being kept in a separate vehicle.
All were taken to the vets but six were in such poor condition they had to be put down but one has been successfully rehomed.
In sentencing the judge said Welbourn was not competent to keep animals and had not sought medical treatment.
In mitigation the court heard Welbourn had mental health issues and had fallen out with a landlord, forcing him to live in one of the vehicles.