A man has been found guilty of neglecting 84 dogs and two cats who were living in ‘appalling’ conditions at a house in South Yorkshire.
Nine RSPCA officers, accompanied by the police and the local authority, were involved in removing the animals, mainly springer spaniel-type dogs, from the property in Galley Hill, Tickhill, near Doncaster, on 18 April last year.
Many of the rooms were covered from floor to ceiling in faeces and dirt several inches thick.
One image taken by the charity shows more than 30 spaniels sitting on the stairs and landing as rescuers entered the home.
Children’s social worker David Parkes (born 11 May 1965) had denied owning or having responsibility for the animals, but was found guilty of three animal welfare offences following a two-day trial at Barnsley Magistrates’ Court, which concluded on 29 September.
His wife Delphine Parkes (born 7 June 1966) and son Sam Parkes (born 17 March 1998), who lived in the same house, had both pleaded guilty to three animal welfare offences at an earlier hearing on 7 January, following an investigation and prosecution by the RSPCA.
All three defendants will be sentenced on 9 December at Doncaster Magistrates’ Court.
The RSPCA successfully rehomed all but one of the animals – the majority found homes through the charity’s network of branch-run centres across the north of England. The charity said numbers had rapidly spiralled because none of the dogs in the house had been neutered.
The family had tried unsuccessfully to give some of the dogs away, and there was no evidence they were large-scale breeders, but pets were left unneutered and bred out of control, the court heard.
Barnsley Magistrates Court was told RSPCA officers had first visited on 5 April after welfare concerns had been reported about a dog seen at the property with an injured leg.
A notice was left offering assistance from the RSPCA and asking the owners to get in touch, but no one responded. A further visit followed on 15 April with no response, and another notice was left.
Police officers then executed a warrant with the animal welfare charity on 17 April. Although the family were inside at the time, entry had to be forced via a back door. Philip Brown, prosecuting, said conditions were so bad that one police officer had to leave the house to be sick due to the overwhelming stench.
In her written evidence, one of the RSPCA officers, Inspector Kristy Ludlam, said: “The door into the kitchen was opened and we were met with 20 to 25 springer spaniels, some huddled in the corners, others running around.
“The kitchen was covered in dirt and faeces from floor to ceiling. The floor had at least 20 piles of faeces on it, which the dogs had distributed around the floor and over themselves. The dogs were cowering and huddling in a corner, or jumping on the kitchen sides near the window at the back of the room. They were very dirty, their fur covered in faeces, and many of their ears had lumps of dirt stuck to them, almost like dreadlocks.
“I walked around the corner to the bottom of the stairs and was met by dogs on every step. There were approximately 33 springer spaniels crowding the stairs, barking and staring at me.
“The stairs were caked in dirt; approximately six to seven inches sat on top of each step from the bottom almost all the way to the top. By the top step, the dirt had almost reached 10 inches and the landing was an undulating mass of dirt, faeces and fur, which made it incredibly difficult and unsafe to walk on.”
Delphine Parkes and her son, Sam, were found in their own bedrooms. Then, after about 20 minutes, Mr Parkes appeared and said he wanted to help get the dogs to safety and believed there were more than 80 inside.
The court also heard evidence from Animal Rescue Officer Liz Braidley, who said: “On entry into the property at the rear, the conditions were appalling. The first room was a small area to the rear of the garage. Every surface from the floor and up the walls was brown in colour; the smell of urine and faeces was overpowering – it made my eyes sting.
“We then went through a door to the left, which led into the kitchen. There were numerous spaniel-type dogs, all filthy with stained yellow coats. Every part of the floor, walls and surfaces was caked in a brown residue.
“The dogs all ran to the other side of the room, appearing very scared and timid. The smell in this room was unbearable; it was difficult to talk or breathe properly, and I was unable to stay in there for extended periods of time.
“There was a further door across the kitchen area. Inspector Ludlam and I went through here, which led to an area by the staircase to the upper floor.
“There again were numerous spaniel-type dogs, who were impossible to count as they retreated up the stairs, where they then sat watching us.”
Two adult springer spaniels, two 12-week-old springer spaniel puppies, two adult female Patterdale terriers and two Patterdale terrier pups were living in Mr and Mrs Parkes’s bedroom.
The room was piled high with various items and was nearly impossible to access, the court heard. Two cats were also found in their son’s bedroom, which was also dirty and cluttered.
Mrs Parkes told the inspector the situation had got out of control since Covid, and she knew they now had too many dogs.
The couple were told neither they nor the animals could carry on living in these conditions, and Mr Parkes agreed for all of them to be removed and signed them over into the care of the RSPCA – although he disputed ownership during the two-day hearing and claimed they were owned by his wife and son.
He said his heavy workload meant he was unable to take responsibility for the animals. But the court was told veterinary records showed all the animals were registered in his name, he knew the names and ages of most of the animals and their feeding plans, and he purchased the dog food and transported pets to the vets when needed.
Many of the dogs did not appear ever to have been walked on a lead and had to be carried to waiting vehicles. The animals were assessed, and those needing treatment were taken to four veterinary practices before being transported to private boarding facilities.
A vet who examined 46 of the dogs said 14 of them were emaciated and had been suffering for at least a month. Five had infected cuts on their ears, which were believed to have been caused by attempts to cut off matted fur with scissors.
Several had bilateral ear infections and one spaniel had been found with an ‘excruciatingly painful’ broken front leg, which was later successfully treated.
The animals, including the cats called Jess and Flower, were vaccinated and received preventative treatment for fleas and worms. Some of the dogs needed antibiotics.
In her written statement, one of the vets said: “A very large number of animals were being kept in an inadequate space. They were living in filth and squalor. They were not provided with sufficient resources for their basic needs, such as water, adequate food, beds or toys.
“Many of the dogs were underweight, probably due to their lack of ability to compete with the other dogs for the resources. Many of them had untreated injuries. Any reasonable and humane person would have recognised these problems and addressed them.”
Following the rescue, most of the dogs were taken to private boarding facilities on behalf of the RSPCA.
They were then rehabilitated and rehomed, mainly in the north of England at RSPCA branch-run animal centres in Sheffield, Southport, Chesterfield, Doncaster, Halifax, Hull, York, Preston and Accrington, as well as the charity’s national centre near Chester-le-Street.
The spaniel with the broken leg was successfully treated at the RSPCA’s Greater Manchester Animal Hospital and then rehomed.
Other dogs travelled to RSPCA branches and centres in Colwyn Bay, Coventry, Radcliffe-on-Trent, Woking, Lincoln, Birmingham, Taunton and Potters Bar. The cats were also rehomed by the team at the RSPCA’s branch-run animal centre in Chesterfield.
Despite ongoing care, one spaniel was sadly put to sleep to prevent further suffering due to health issues.
Lynne Fairbridge, chair of magistrates, who concluded it was clear Mr Parkes ‘had responsibility for the animals’, praised the RSPCA for its work on the case at the end of the hearing.
