NAME: Margaret and Gary Mazan
WHERE: Bradford, West Yorkshire - UK
CRIME: A dog breeder and her husband have been found guilty of animal cruelty after 14 Red Setters were discovered dehydrated and caged in the 'worst conditions ever seen'.
Margaret and Gary Mazan from Bradford, West Yorkshire, had their dogs seized by RSPCA inspectors after the animals were discovered in filthy cages with matted fur.
The couple were said to have caused unnecessary suffering to the dogs as they had failed to seek veterinary care for their eyes and injuries to their tails.
Three of the fully grown dogs were found crammed in puppy cages and the majority were kept in a squalid garden shed.
Emma Ellis, an RSPCA inspector for Bradford who helped to seize the animals, said it was the worst conditions she has seen dogs in her 12 years as an inspector.
She said: 'These were the worst conditions I've ever seen dogs kept in. To see the dogs living in a small shed, with three fully grown setters living in a puppy cage is horrific. They could not sit down or turn around and there fur was matted, covered in urine and faeces.
'When the shed was opened, the smell literally hit you and it was a smell like I had never experienced before. I still recall the smell every time I see the photos.
'To keep animals in these conditions is unacceptable for anyone, let a alone a dog breeder.'
Dingle Clark, prosecuting on behalf of the RSPCA, said Mrs Mazan, 53, had shown and bred setters for more than ten years.
The animals had been kept at the Bradford home since the family moved from Leeds in February 2013.
RSPCA officials served a warning notice a month after the couple moved in due to the conditions the dogs were being kept in.
A dog warden was refused access to the home in April 2013, prompting calls to the RSPCA.
Mrs Mazan chose not to give evidence in court yesterday, but her husband Gary, 51, who is a long-distance lorry driver, claimed it was his wife who had sole responsibility for the dogs.
Both defendants were found guilty of seven breaches of the Animal Welfare Act and were granted bail ahead of a sentencing hearing next month.
All the dogs are currently in the care of the RSPCA.
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