Burton Fleming greyhound trainer jailed over mistreatment of 38 dogs

An experienced greyhound trainer whose mistreatment of her animals led to the deaths of nine dogs has been jailed.

Inspectors found almost 40 dogs in squalid conditions at Rebecca Perkins' farm in Burton Fleming, East Yorkshire.

The remains of five greyhounds were found at the site. A sixth died before receiving treatment, two others were euthanised on the day on veterinary advice and a further dog was put down several days later.

Perkins, 42, of Hunmanby Road, Burton Fleming, pleaded guilty to three animal cruelty offences against a total of 38 dogs. She was jailed for 36 weeks and banned from keeping animals for life.

Scarborough Magistrates Court heard that her offences came to light after an unannounced spot-check by the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB), the regulatory body for racing, in September 2022.

The GBGB expert described being "disturbed" by what he found.

One dog was found in a kennel in a "disgraceful condition... so thin and emaciated" that it "could hardly walk". 

There were several other severely underweight greyhounds in stable blocks, along with the skeleton of a small dog.

The bodies of a further four dead dogs were found at various locations across the farm.RSPCA inspector Claire Mitchell attended the farm and found several other emaciated animals.

She Mitchell said: "The majority of the dogs were very skinny and several were unable to stand.

"I noticed the dogs were in very poor body condition, I noticed fur loss and sores on many of the dogs. One in particular had a nasty open wound on its front leg. I noticed several of the kennels containing deceased dogs that were in different stages of decay."Perkins, who had been a greyhound trainer for 17 years, signed all the dogs in her care over to the RSPCA.

The surviving dogs are continuing to recover.

Animal rescue officer Daniel Richardson said: "Looking after a large number of greyhounds like this can be very challenging and, clearly, they were badly let down on this occasion, to such an extent that a number had to be put to sleep given the severity of the welfare problems."Thankfully, once in RSPCA care, the greyhounds that survived have done very well and gained significant weight. The process of rehoming these dogs is underway - offering them each a second chance of forever home happiness."

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