'Cruel bully' 'battered' dogs as they shrieked in terror

A cruel dog breeder allegedly battered and shouted at his two terrified dogs as they shrieked in pain. The harrowing sounds of Robert Jones' pets, three-year-old Doris and ten-year-old Ozzie, whimpering and crying out were caught on camera on more than 30 different occasions.

The RSPCA was alerted to the abuse by a person who was concerned for the dogs' welfare. A subsequent investigation found the 31-year-old, who claimed he had "bred, trained and sold [dogs] for 12 years", had abused and intimidated his pets on multiple occasions over a "lengthy period" of five months.

More than 30 video recordings of Jones' Doberman and Staffordshire Bull Terrier cross, taken between January and August 2023, were provided to the RSPCA. On at least 20 of the clips, the dogs could be heard screaming in pain as banging, thudding and slapping noises, accompanied by a male voice, came from the house at Rainworth Drive, Southport.

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Another witness said they had seen Jones physically assaulting the dogs by kicking them. They also said Jones would shout and curse at dogs Doris and Ozzie, who were said to be left outside day and night, and loud thuds could be heard coming from his house, followed by the sounds of whimpering.

RSPCA Inspector Vicki Brooks said: “I listened to the recordings and heard repeated incidents of a male shouting and swearing, banging and dog(s) crying out in a manner that clearly indicated that they were in fear, distress and potential pain. I was not hearing ‘normal’ sounds of dogs crying and whimpering.

"These were clearly more serious and concerning. I have dealt with cases like this previously and the sound of a dog whimpering or crying because it has been left alone, or wants to go inside, or wants attention, for example, is distinctively different to the crying a dog makes when it is in pain, fear and distress.”

The RSPCA Inspector sent the recordings to a vet, who raised his own serious concerns about the welfare of the dogs. In August 2023, Insp Brooks and police visited Jones at his home, where Doberman Doris and staffie Ozzie were found in a small paved area in the back garden.

The RSPCA said there was "no bedding in their shelter and several piles of faeces were visible." The dogs were seized and taken to the RSPCA’s Greater Manchester Animal Hospital, where they were given health checks and vaccinations before being transferred to a private boarding facility.

Jones appeared at South Sefton Magistrates Court on August 29, having pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to his animals after abusing them on several occasions between January 22 2023 and July 7 2023.

In his written evidence to the court, a vet said: “The 31 recordings do not provide direct evidence of the dogs being physically assaulted, although noises such as bangs, thuds and slaps associated with a dog vocalising distressfully are highly likely to be associated with physical abuse.

“The recordings indicate that the male person shouted and swore at the dogs causing Doris and Ozzie to vocalise in a distressful manner, indicating they were in fear at those times."

Jones told the RSPCA he considered himself to be knowledgeable and experienced with dogs having kept, bred, trained and sold them for 12 years. He said he trained his dogs verbally, and with leash work, and that they were not scared of him and he had never beaten them. He said the video recordings were "just the noise the dogs make".

There were no further details of how the dogs were seen being kicked, and so it was impossible to determine whether they had suffered physical pain, the court was told. The defendant’s actions, however, would still have caused Doris and Ozzie to suffer through fear and distress, according to the vet.

District Judge Bruce Hatton said Jones had displayed "despicable behaviour over a lengthy period" and that any "right minded person" listening to the audio of the dogs would find his actions "appalling". He sentenced Jones to 22 weeks in prison suspended for 12 months, 25 rehabilitation days, and banned him from keeping dogs for 10 years.

Speaking after the case Inspector Brooks said: “Jones' actions towards Doris and Ozzie were consistently violent and intimidating and the dogs in his care experienced pain, fear and distress on a regular basis over a long period of time.

“As the investigating officer it was extremely traumatic and upsetting to have to listen to the recordings and to have constantly had to witness these dogs in such fear and distress must have been awful for anyone in the vicinity. Jones' actions were those of an aggressive and cruel bully and were wholly unacceptable.

“I am very grateful to the witnesses for their bravery in coming forward, and their patience and commitment whilst we conducted this investigation as we could not have secured this conviction without them."