Christchurch woman Jane Wyatt made nearly £40,000 illegally breeding puppies, Bournemouth Crown Court hears

A woman who made nearly £40,000 illegally breeding 18 litters of puppies did it for her pension, a court has heard.

Jane Wyatt (60) bred from her three female dogs – a Lhasa apso, shih tzu, bichon frise – and her male poodle at her home in Blackwater, Christchurch after taking redundancy from her job working with horses.

She also bred a litter from a dog owned by her mother which, along with the other puppies, were offered for sale on websites such as Pets4Homes.

But she was caught out after one puppy became ill and its new owner reported Wyatt to BCP Council who discovered she did not have a licence to breed dogs.

Prosecutor Lucy Conroy told Bournemouth Crown Court an investigation revealed that between March 2021 and November 2022 Wyatt, said to be an “animal lover”, had raked in £39,775 from flogging the pups.

She had inquired about a dog licence before starting her new enterprise, the court heard, but later said it had “gone over her head” and did not get one.

Ms Conroy said the licence protected pets and customers saying: “It protects animal welfare by keeping it under the watchful eye of the licensing authority, homes can be accessed for inspection, and also protects customers giving them confidence that the health of a puppy has been prioritised over profit.”

She said there was no allegation the dogs had been ill treated by Wyatt who pleaded guilty to one charge of breeding puppies without a licence.

Ms Conroy said the defendant was a woman of “good character” who was “not known to the RSPCA” adding: “Her incentive seemed to be one of financial gain.”

Defence barrister Amber Athill said Wyatt had started breeding dogs after leaving her job caring for horses, where she had been for 30 years, in an attempt to provide herself with a pension.

Judge Jonathan Fuller interrupted her, saying: “It went on for far too long and she made too much money. She was doing it illegally.”

Ms Athill said there was no allegation Wyatt was running a “puppy farm” and there had been no animal neglect, or cruelty.

All the puppies had been vet checked and vaccinated, Ms Athill said, adding: “She loved them and cared for them. Only one puppy had a hernia, there were no other complaints.”

Referring to the possibility the court could ban Wyatt from keeping dogs, Ms Athill said: “They are her life. She has no children; they are her everything. She said she would rather go to prison then have her dogs taken away from her.”

Of the money Wyatt had made, Ms Athill said it had been for the defendant’s future, adding: “Not a penny of it has been spent.”

Ordering Wyatt to pay a fine of £5,000 plus costs of £7,746 and a victim surcharge of £2,000, Judge Fuller told her: “This is not a case of a puppy farm, but you were very aware of the need for a licence. These businesses are licensed for a very good reason.”

“You persisted in your enterprise and deliberately eluded the licence system and profited.”

He also ordered the £39,775 be confiscated as proceeds of crime. The judge told Wyatt she would not be banned from breeding dogs, but added: “If you do, you will have to get a licence.”