Please retweet CONVICTED | Nicolas St James, 62, from #Carhampton, near #Minehead, #Somerset #UK – kept dozens of golden retrievers in vile conditions, 2 were found dead, 34 others with injuries, disease or in pain 🔴AVOIDS JAIL!!!!🔴
Nicolas St James, co-director of The Golden Retriever Experience Limited with daughter Lauren St James (not prosecuted), pleaded guilty to four counts of failing to meet basic welfare standards.
In May 2024, the so-called Disneyland for dogs had its operating licence revoked by Somerset Council on the grounds of “protecting the welfare of animals”.
The RSPCA executed a warrant with police officers at the business location on 28 May 2024 after receiving reports of dogs being injured and dying due to fights breaking out in overcrowded conditions. The charity had issued improvement notices but none of these were adhered to.
Photos showed cramped and unsanitary conditions, while dogs were found dehydrated and living without clean bedding or water. Two dogs had already died before help arrived.
The 34 surviving animals were seized and taken for veterinary examination.
A vet who examined the dogs said they were “not protected from pain, injury, suffering, and disease”, adding that none of the dogs’ needs under Section 9 of the Animal Welfare Act were met
“The environment was inadequate in size and comfort,” they added.
“There was a lack of constant access to clean drinking water and dogs were not protected from pain, injury, suffering, and disease.”
Judge Angela Brereton described it as “one of the worst cases this court will deal with,” and criticised St James for showing no remorse, saying he was more focused on “financial loss” than the animals’ wellbeing.
Following the sentencing hearing RSPCA Inspector Jo Daniel said: “These dogs were failed when it came to receiving the care they needed.
“Water, comfort and a safe living environment are basic needs that every owner has a duty to fulfil to ensure the needs of their animals are being met.”

The Golden Retriever Experience was a popular tourist spot and even received international news coverage before its closure in May 2024.
It had offered members of the public the opportunity to spend time petting and playing with groups of dogs for a fee.
The business was operated day-to-day by Nicolas St James and daughter Lauren St James, an aspiring singer/songwriter.
Rhianne Aitken, who worked at the company from May to August 2023 and was one of a number of staff members who reported St James, described her experience as a “horrible nightmare”.
She told BBC News about one occasion when one of the dogs was mauled to death after being put into cramped conditions with other animals.
“He wasn’t part of the pack and they obviously turned on him and that’s why he would have got mauled,” Rhianne said.
“He was such a lovely dog and deserved so much better.”
She added: “The dogs weren’t getting properly looked after. It was horrible to witness.”
After Nicolas St James was sentenced, another former worker at the Golden Retriever Experience took to Facebook to describe her experience of working there and some of the horrors she allegedly witnessed. She wrote:
In April 2024, my colleagues and I made the incredibly difficult decision to leave the Golden Retriever Experience – and do everything we could to put a stop to the cruelty happening behind the scenes. We reported what we had witnessed to the RSPCA, and because of those reports, an investigation was launched that ultimately led to the place being shut down.
Today, justice has been served. Nicolas Grant St James, the man behind the Golden Retriever Experience, has been sentenced for the mistreatment of the dogs he claimed to care for.
What the public saw was a carefully crafted illusion. Behind closed doors, those dogs were suffering. I saw first hand how badly those dogs were failed. Their most basic needs were left unmet.

• They were crammed together in severely overcrowded conditions, living quite literally on top of each other.
• They slept on hard concrete floors with no bedding, surrounded by dirt and mud.
• Some were severely overweight, to the point where they could barely walk, because they weren’t exercised enough, or at all.
  We did what we could to care for them, but on the days we couldn’t be there, they were left without walks, stimulation, or any meaningful interaction.
  They were made to do back-to-back sessions for 8+ hours a day, all year round, even in the sweltering summer heat. We said there should be a temperature cut-off where sessions would be cancelled – and we knew most customers, being dog lovers, would completely understand. But he refused, simply because he didn’t want to lose out on money.
  We begged Nicolas to put up shade for them during the sessions, but he refused. Their comfort and safety was never a priority. We all expressed our concerns, and when he told us to continue playing fetch with them in front of customers for entertainment, even in the heat, we refused.
  Many were sick or injured, with visible wounds, infections, or ongoing health problems – and we had to beg for permission to take them to the vets. Their suffering was not only avoidable – it was ignored.
  Nicolas controlled the dogs through fear and pain. He would hit and kick them – sometimes just because they were scared, or didn’t understand what was being asked of them. It was never about communication, kindness, or patience. It was about dominance, intimidation, and cruelty.
  They were so neglected and frustrated that fights would break out constantly. We would do everything we could to handle the fights, we would physically throw ourselves between the dogs to stop them from hurting each other. We were often injured or bitten in the process, but we did it because we couldn’t stand to see them suffer. Some fights were so severe that dogs were literally torn apart, and heartbreakingly, some even lost their lives. It should never have come to that.
  When dogs passed away, their deaths were treated with the same callous disregard as their lives. Their bodies were often left for weeks to decompose before being buried.
  One dog, who had been rehomed by Nicolas after his previous owner trusted he would have a good life, knew nothing but fear and suffering right up to the very end. After he was killed in a brutal fight, Nicolas hid his body in a shipping container for weeks. He didn’t want us to see the extent of the dog’s injuries – to see just how horrific the damage was. Eventually, he buried him alone, in secret, in the woods.
  The same thing happened with one of the older girls, who passed away from unrelated causes – instead of being laid to rest with any dignity, she was left to rot for weeks before finally being buried. There was no care, no respect, no mourning – just an effort to ignore it, cover it up and move on. It was as though their lives, and their deaths, meant nothing to him.
  That was the final straw. When dogs were being killed due to the conditions they were being kept in, we knew we couldn’t stay silent any more. That’s what pushed us to finally walk away and report everything to the RSPCA. We were terrified to leave. As awful as things were, we knew that while we were there, the dogs were getting some care – food, walks, affection. We didn’t know what would happen to them if we left, and that fear kept us there far longer than it should have.
  We stayed as long as we did because we loved those dogs. We came in on our days off to make sure they were fed, walked, and shown the care they deserved. Not for him, but because those dogs meant the world to us. We did everything we possibly could to care for them and protect them, even when our hands were tied. The girls I worked with were incredible, strong, compassionate, and the kindest, most dedicated people, who fought every day to make things better.
  Nicolas never cared about the dogs. He only cared about the money they were making him. He exploited them, profited from their suffering, and ignored every sign that they were in distress.
  Today is for those dogs. For the ones who are still here, and for the ones who didn’t make it.
  For every one of them that deserved better. For every one that was failed by the person who should have protected them.
  What we saw still affects us to this day. The trauma of witnessing such cruelty and brutality, of trying so hard to protect those dogs with so little support, doesn’t just go away. We carry it with us – but we also carry the comfort of knowing that we did everything we could. We spoke up. We stood together. And now, finally, those dogs are free.
  It’s incredibly hard not knowing where they are now, but what matters most is that they are finally out of that awful situation. I just hope they’re safe, happy, and being loved the way they always deserved.
  ukanimalcrueltyfiles.org/carhampton-wes…...
  bbc.co.uk/news/articles/…

🔴Sentencing | 18-week custodial sentence suspended for 12 months; 200 hours of community service; 10 days of ‘rehabilitation’; £5000 costs and £150 victim surcharge. Banned from keeping dogs for 10 years.

#NicholasStJames #animalwelfare #England @BBCNews @itvnews @NickDixonITV #GoldenRetrievers @rickygervais @liamgallagher @KatieAmess @RSPCA_official @PETAUK @RicHolden @AlistairCarns @ConservativeAWF #Bath #Street #Bristol

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