Kennel Club show judge in court for unlicensed dog breeding

A KENNEL Club show judge has been prosecuted for unlicensed dog breeding by Carmarthenshire Council following an application for a canine and feline boarding licence.

Gareth Lawler, previously of Hendy, Carmarthenshire, who now lives in the Monmouth area, was found guilty at Swansea Crown Court in December, following investigations in 2020, which uncovered the illegal breeding of 27 litters over a four-year period.

The court heard that Lawler had made £153,000 as a result of his crime.

The judge ordered the confiscation of £78,000 from Lawler under the Proceeds of Crime Act, with a 12-month custodial sentence being activated if he does not pay the sum within three months.

The judge also fined Lawler £500 for unlicensed dog breeding, and ordered him to pay this within six months. If he fails to, a further 14day prison sentence will be imposed.

The court was told that following an application to renew a boarding licence which lapsed in 2019, an inspection took place where animal welfare officers discovered Lawler’s own dogs being kept in poor conditions, as well as there being suspicion of illegal dog breeding.

The boarding licence was refused and a warrant was obtained to search the property.

This was due to the unsatisfactory conditions his own dogs were being kept in and refusal to allow officers to access areas where other dogs and puppies were housed, as well as other non-conformities to licensing conditions.

The subsequent search and online investigations by council officers uncovered breeding dogs and puppies being kept in poor conditions, as well as evidence of largescale unlicensed dog breeding.

Between July 24, 2016, and July 22, 2020, 27 litters were bred by Lawler, despite his being advised of current dog-breeding regulations on more than one occasion.

Cllr Aled Vaughan Owen, Carmarthenshire Council Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Decarbonisation and Sustainability with responsibility for Trading Standards, said: “I would like to praise the actions of our animal welfare team who uncovered unlicensed dog breeding, as well as dogs being kept in unacceptable conditions during an inspection which forms part of the dog boarding licensing procedure.

“Mr Lawler is well-known on the dog show circuit, having judged English Springer spaniels, Cocker spaniels and Welsh Springer spaniels at Kennel Club shows, and this case indicates the importance of licenses for dog boarding and breeding, both of which are to protect the welfare of dogs.”