RSPCABBC News, West of England
The owner of a viral golden retriever petting experience has been banned from keeping dogs for 10 years after some of the animals died in his care.
Nicolas St James, 62, ran the Golden Retriever Experience in Somerset, offering play and petting sessions with around 30 dogs to paying visitors.
But in May 2024, the experience – which garnered millions of views on social media – had its licence revoked by Somerset Council following a police and RSPCA investigation.
The animal charity said the dogs were kept in unclean and overcrowded conditions, with little access to fresh water.
St James, of Carhampton in Minehead, was handed an 18-week prison sentence, suspended for one year, at North Somerset Magistrates’ Court in Weston-super-Mare earlier.
He pleaded guilty to animal welfare charges on 19 June.
The court was told a visit to the site by the RSPCA and Somerset Council found conditions were “grossly overcrowded”, with 20 of the dogs living in a galley kitchen with a concrete floor and others cramped into a bedroom.
This left the retrievers fighting over limited resources, the court was told.
A local vet said he had dealt with numerous cases of the dogs being admitted for fighting injuries, the court was told, with two of the dogs dying from bite wounds.
Some of the animals were also found to have calluses, the RSPCA said.
District Judge Brereton told St James his attitude “bordered on arrogance” and no changes were made to the animals’ welfare despite four warnings.
She said St James was only worried about his financial losses.
Speaking about the dogs’ time at the Golden Retriever Experience near Minehead, Suzanne Norbury from the RSPCA said: “It was a failure to meet their needs.
“They need the freedom to exhibit natural behaviours and get away from stressful situations.”
Following the removal of the licence, the dogs were rescued by the RSPCA, mostly to its facility in Cornwall.
Ms Norbury said the dogs had since been fostered or adopted.
Bridget Dobinson, from Devon, decided to adopt one of the golden retrievers – Molly – after being encouraged to foster an animal by her daughter.
“Molly was totally shut down when she came to us – she wouldn’t walk from one room to another… she wouldn’t get in her bed at night.
“A year on, she flops into her bed every night, but she’s still anxious about going into rooms.
“She’s frightened of noises, of fast movement, or anything I’m carrying – but she’s a very loving dog,” she said.
Additional reporting by John Danks and Scott Ellis.
