Rescuers Discover 80+ Spaniels and 2 Cats Inside One Home and Spring Into Action

What rescuers discovered inside an English home was difficult to comprehend. Dozens of dogs were packed into rooms where dirt and feces had accumulated across floors, stairs, and even their fur, while several animals were painfully thin or living with untreated injuries. In total, 84 dogs and two cats were removed from the property and brought to safety. More than a year after the rescue, a court has now found 61-year-old children’s social worker David Parkes guilty of three animal welfare offenses connected to the conditions in which the animals had been living. Credit: Instagram Parkes was found guilty on Tuesday, Sept. 29, following a two-day trial at Barnsley Magistrates’ Court in England, according to a press release from the RSPCA. His wife, Delphine Parkes, 60, and their son, Sam Parkes, 28, had previously pleaded guilty to three animal welfare offenses during a Jan. 7 hearing. The case centered on a property in Tickhill, England, where authorities removed the animals on April 18, 2025. Most of the dogs were Springer Spaniels, and the sheer number of animals inside the home had created conditions the RSPCA described as filthy and squalid. According to the charity, several ro...