A man has denied being the owner of more than 80 dogs which had been living in "squalid conditions" at his home in Doncaster.

South Yorkshire Police and RSPCA officers who rescued the animals from the property at Galley Hill Farm Cottage in Tickhill in April last year said the conditions in which the dogs were found were the worst they had encountered in their careers.

David Parkes, 61, denied three counts of animal welfare offences, arguing at Barnsley Magistrates' Court on Monday that he did not own or have responsibility for the animals.

His wife Delphine, 60, and their son Sam, 28, admitted the same offences at a hearing earlier this year.

Opening the trial, prosecutor Philip Brown said 80 Springer Spaniel-type dogs, two adult Patterdale Terriers, two Patterdale Terrier pups and two cats were removed from the home between 17 and 18 April 2025.

Brown explained the RSPCA initially referred to 84 animals but said ultimately 86 had been involved.

RSPCA officers first visited the property on 5 April last year but were unable to make contact with the family.

A notice was left, offering assistance and asking them to reach out to the charity.

Brown said Parkes accepted he had received the notice but made a conscious decision not to respond.

Following another unsuccessful attempt by the RSPCA on 15 April, an emergency warrant was issued, and although the family was inside the property, Brown said police had to force entry.

He said officers then found a very large population of dogs and cats inside, in conditions described as "the worst they had encountered during their careers".

"One officer was so affected [...] she had to leave the property and vomit outside," Brown told the court.

Vets examining the animals later found many of them heavily matted, covered in faeces and urine, and underweight.

They concluded the animals had been kept in an inadequate space with "filth and squalor", without sufficient food, water or enrichment.

One of the dogs was found with an "excruciatingly painful" leg fracture, while five others had infected wounds.

The court heard their injuries would have been "obvious to any reasonable owner".

The court heard Parkes helped officers remove the animals when they were seized and later signed a document transferring them into RSPCA care, identifying him as the owner.

Brown argued that Parkes had an opportunity to challenge that description but did not.

Parkes told investigators that the dogs were registered with vets in the names of himself, his wife and son, and referred to one clinic as "the practice we use".

The court heard how on 28 April 2025 when it was put to him that the three family members owned the dogs, he replied: "To some capacity, yes."

When asked if any third party was responsible for the animals, he said no.

Brown said Parkes was able to identify some of the dogs by names and ages, had knowledge of their feeding arrangements, medical treatments and histories.

Parkes had described them as "unacceptable", Brown told the court, but went on to say: "We did our best."

Brown said it was the prosecution's conclusion that Parkes "was not simply a person who happened to reside at an address where other members of his family kept animals".

"He had ownership to some capacity and was one of the persons responsible for the animals," Brown said.

The trial continues.

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