The owner of the Golden Retriever Experience in Minehead, a once-popular tourist attraction where visitors could play with dogs, has been banned from keeping dogs for ten years after an investigation revealed severely neglected and overcrowded living conditions.
Despite its popularity and international media coverage, the attraction masked the harsh realities behind the scenes. Dogs were housed in cramped, dirty conditions, lacking access to fresh drinking water, which caused fights among the animals, resulting in fatalities. Two dogs died from injuries sustained during fights; another suffered severe trauma during an altercation.
Nicolas Eugene Grant St James, 62, of Carhampton, Minehead, pleaded guilty to multiple animal welfare offences. These included failing to provide adequately sized accommodation, neglecting to keep the premises clean, failing to ensure comfortable resting areas for the dogs, and not supplying continuous access to clean drinking water.
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The RSPCA launched their investigation following reports of injuries and deaths linked to overcrowding and poor conditions. After St James failed to implement necessary improvements, authorities removed all dogs from the property. A veterinary expert confirmed the dogs were subjected to pain, injury, and suffering, with none of their welfare needs met as outlined under Section 9 of the Animal Welfare Act.
A behaviourist who contributed evidence highlighted severe welfare breaches. Drinking water was restricted to discourage indoor urination, bedding was absent, and unspayed females and unneutered males were kept together in cramped quarters, exacerbating aggression and stress. The restriction of water increased competition and conflict among the dogs, further harming their wellbeing. The report emphasized the importance of providing varied, comfortable resting areas and the risk of resource guarding behaviour when basic needs are unmet.
Sentencing Judge Brereton described the conditions as “woefully inadequate” and linked them directly to the injuries and deaths. She criticized St James for showing no remorse, focusing instead on his own financial losses. St James received an 18-week suspended sentence, 200 hours of community service, ten Rehabilitation Activity Requirement days, and must pay £5,000 in costs plus a £150 victim surcharge.
RSPCA Inspector Jo Daniel condemned the neglect: “These dogs were failed when it came to receiving the care they needed. Water, comfort, and a safe environment are basic needs every animal deserves, and it was the owner’s duty to provide them.”