A 35-YEAR-OLD woman has been handed a conditional discharge after admitting breeding and advertising the sale of dogs in Dudley without a licence.
Charlene Robinson, of Bryan Avenue, Wolverhampton, pleaded guilty to breaching the Animal Welfare Act 2006 by breeding dogs and advertising a business of selling dogs, without the appropriate licence between June 21 2020 and January 5 2023.
The case, which was brought by Dudley Council's environmental health team, involved in the illegal breeding of Cocker Spaniels, Cockerpoos and Cavalier King Charles Spaniels at Ms Robinson's former family home in Tansey Green Road, Pensnett.
She was ordered to pay costs of £7,928 and was given a two-year conditional discharge when the case was finalised at Dudley Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday (September 27).
Court documents said the defendant's guilty plea was taken into account when sentencing.
The council, however, said the dogs had been found in poor and cramped conditions and it wouldn't hesitate to take action against people found illegally breeding and selling dogs without appropriate authorisation.
Councillor Ian Bevan, cabinet member responsible for Dudley Council’s Trading Standards, said: “This is an upsetting case where the dogs were kept in unfair conditions and without the appropriate care in place."
He urged anyone looking to buy a puppy to seek advice on the RSPCA website for information on how to find an ethical and regulated breeder and he added: “This is yet more evidence that we will not hesitate to act against people who illegally breed and sell dogs without taking the appropriate measures."
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