Rugby man jailed for causing unnecessary suffering to Cane Corso puppies he bred to sell

A Rugby man has been jailed after keeping puppies he bred to sell in squalid conditions

37-year-old Emmanuel Paul previously of Harvon Garth, Cambridge Street pleaded guilty to three offences under the Animal Welfare Act on the first day of his trial.

An RSPCA officer visited Paul’s home and a second associated address multiple times in September and October 2020 following concerns for his five adult dogs and two litters of 17 puppies - all Cane Corsos.

He had concerns for one of the bitches, who was underweight and had ‘fresh and deep lacerations’, possibly from fighting with one of the other dogs, as well as one puppy which was ‘lethargic and listless’.

He told Paul they both needed to see a vet urgently and they attended a vet together.

The officer issued improvement notices and offered advice to help the puppies, returning multiple times to check the advice was being followed, as well as offering to take in the dogs for rehoming if Paul was struggling to take care of them.

The five adult dogs were later taken in by the local housing association and boarded by Dogs Trust.

Three were signed over for rehoming and two remained in the charity’s care but can now be rehomed.

On November 4 2020, RSPCA Inspector Nichola Johnson attended Paul’s address to check on the puppies.

In her witness statement, submitted to court, she said: “As soon as I entered the flat I could hear what sounded like a large number of puppies barking and squealing from what is the living area.

"The smell of ammonia in the property was extremely strong.

“There was a lot of noise coming from the kitchen area and a space next to it. All I could see was some sheets covering up something.

“I began removing the sheets to find in total two black crates and five cat carriers, all containing puppies.

"None of the accommodation had water or bedding provided and were completely devoid of any toys or environmental enrichment.

“I could clearly see three puppies in one crate which were bright and alert and in reasonable bodily condition.

"I could also see clearly into the second crate which contained four puppies, which I would class as reasonable bodily condition.

"“I also uncovered five cat carriers each containing a single puppy which I could not see clearly at this point.”

She was concerned about the puppies’ weight and could see no food in the flat.

Paul said he’d recently run out and hadn’t yet had a chance to go out and get more.

When the five younger puppies were let out of the carriers, Inspector Johnson said: “It was clear to see that they were all in very thin bodily condition. I could see the outline of their spines, ribs and hips as they moved around the flat.

“The puppies did appear bright and alert but seemed to be searching around for something.

"I asked Mr Paul to put down some water for them. As soon as the water was on the floor all the puppies began drinking and continued until it had all gone.”

Inspector Johnson took the five younger puppies for urgent vet checks and experts concluded that they had unnecessarily suffered.

They were seized by police and taken into RSPCA care.

Inspector Johnson made enquiries with the vet Paul had been using who told her he’d not brought the pups in for check-ups or dropped off faecal samples, as requested.

They told her he’d last been into the surgery three days earlier, on 1 November, with a puppy in ‘poor condition’ that was euthanised because Paul ‘could not afford the treatment’.

Following enquiries, Inspector Johnson said, in her statement: “It became apparent to me that Mr Paul had a history of presenting dogs and puppies to [vets] in varying degrees of veterinary need.

"Almost every time he took an animal for attention he was unable to afford the treatment or diagnostic procedures that the examining veterinary surgeon thought was necessary.

"Which, to me, suggests a lack of, or unwillingness to spend, money on the animals in his care going back to March 2020.

"Which in turn leads me to be concerned as to why the dogs were bred in the first place other than for monetary gain regardless of being able to provide the care and welfare standards animals are legally entitled to.

“On making further enquiries relating to the clinical records collectively… I was sent a copy of a photograph of a blue puppy (NJ/6) which I had not been aware of previously.

"The photograph was horrific and stopped me in my tracks. It showed the image of puppy and its condition when Mr Paul presented it to the veterinary practice on 01/11/2020.”

The puppy was put to sleep by vets. The image led Inspector Johnson to add the pictured puppy to the investigation, alongside the five seized pups.

On 10 November, Inspector Johnson returned to Paul’s flat to check on the older puppies who were in better condition and had been left in situ. She gave him further advice as to their welfare.

On 11 November she went to visit the younger puppies, in RSPCA care, and said they looked ‘remarkably better’ and ‘had all put on weight, were clean and much brighter’, just one week after being rescued.

Further enquiries established that Paul had been to vets to gain a ‘fit to fly’ certificate for two puppies he’d sold to a buyer in the USA and another RSPCA officer had reported concerns to the local authority that he was breeding without a licence.

On Thursday (10 February) at Coventry Magistrates’ Court, Paul - who now lives in Manchester - was sentenced by a district judge to 22 weeks in prison and disqualified from keeping animals for five years. He was also ordered to pay £2,000 in costs.

The remaining dogs - two adults who had not been signed over - were confiscated and can now find new homes. The five puppies who were seized were all signed over and rehomed by the RSPCA.