A licensed dog breeder in Chesterfield has been ordered to pay over £10,000 after pleading guilty to overbreeding her dog.
Mrs Catherine Clark, 62, of 36 Ennerdale Crescent, Newbold, Chesterfield pleaded guilty to three offences under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 after it was discovered her German Shorthaired Pointer was having a litter every seven months on average.
Regulations require that breeding dogs should not give birth to more than one litter of puppies in a 12-month period, but following investigations from officers at Chesterfield Borough Council, it was found that Mrs Clark allowed her dog to give birth in between the required 12-month rest and recovery period.
As a result of the findings, Mrs Clark’s breeding licence was revoked on 26 February and she pleaded guilty at the hearing at Derby Magistrates Court on 19 August.
The court heard how aggravating features in this case were that Mrs Clark had deliberately attempted to conceal litters of puppies and continued to sell them through the time she was suspended from holding a licence.
As part of the investigation, Mrs Clark was ordered to provide bank statements, business accounts and details of the finances of the last four litters - which had resulted in 25 puppies with a sale value in the region of £35,000.
At the sentencing hearing that took place at Chesterfield Magistrates Court on 10 October 2024, Mrs Clark was sentenced to a fine of £1000 for each offence (£3000 total), £7000 towards prosecution costs and £1200 victim surcharge.
Councillor Steve Lismore, Chesterfield Borough Council’s cabinet member for health and wellbeing, said: “We take incidents like this very seriously, and this case should be seen as a strong warning to licensed business owners across the borough that they must ensure they meet all of the conditions of their licence, or further action will be taken.
“Our animal licensing team are thorough in their work, and we will continue to investigate cases like this to ensure that the welfare of all animals is protected.”
Members of the public who are concerned about a licensed animal establishment or think someone is operating without a licence can report it to the council.
More information on how to report an issue.
