Father and daughter sentenced for illegal dog breeding

A father and daughter team who illegally bred and sold pets have been sentenced in court.

Dorset Council's animal welfare team said Michael and Ebony Membury made more than £34,000 during their unlicensed activities.

It said one couple who saw adverts for a puppy arrived to see them in "very cramped conditions" and saw "howling and barking" dogs in a cupboard under the stairs.

Gill Taylor, in charge of health and housing, said the "scale and organisation" of the business showed it was "deliberate, pre-planned, and motivated by financial gain".

The defendants pleaded guilty to offences under the Animal Welfare Act at Weymouth Magistrates Court.

They purchased puppies and sold them for profit, and later bred them at the family home in Dorchester, sourcing kittens from a relative's farm.

Ebony Membury tried and failed to get a licence from the council but continued breeding, advertising and selling pets anyway.

The council said it was later contacted by an "upset" couple who left the house without buying a pet after seeing the conditions they were kept in.

It led to Dorset Police executing a search warrant.

They found two litters of cockapoos and dachshunds, ten other dogs in a "very small, confined space" under the stairs, and a dog wearing an anti-bark vibrating collar which had injured its neck.

The council said the garden was "littered with dog excrement", and large quantities of cash were discovered.

The puppies were being sold for up to £2,000 each, it later transpired.

The defendants were both disqualified from dealing in dogs for five years and ordered to pay combined court costs of £8,898, and a victim surcharge of £114 each.

Michael Membury, 58, received a community order with electronic monitoring for four months, and was charged £120 for money laundering, with a forfeiture of £2,330 plus interest.

Ebony Membury was sentenced to 150 hours community service.

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