A MAN kept four large dogs confined in cars for nine months and subjected them to 'brutal' treatment, a court heard.

Jason Zachary John White, 32, pleaded guilty to three counts of failing to undertake the duty of a person responsible for an animal to ensure its welfare.

Prosecuting for the RSPCA, Matthew Knight, told Weymouth Magistrates Court the defendant had four dogs and was homeless, living in a car in a car park in Sherborne.

The dogs were a German Shepherd type dog named Chester, a German Shepherd cross Husky type dog named Pickles and two Husky type dogs named Marley and Teddy.

He said between March 13 and April 22 last year White, now of Holwell, used inappropriately harsh, and potentially painful or frightening disciplinary, training, handling or control methods. White was also found to be keeping his dogs confined in cars for nine months and was failing to give the dogs access to an adequate supply of clean drinking water.

A neighbour said he saw White's dogs kept in cars for 24 hours or tied to a gate outside.

The neighbour was said to have also seen the defendant shouting and being physically aggressive to the dogs and collected a number of video and audio clips.

There was said to be video of the defendant shouting aggressively at the dogs as well as a clip of White showing one of the dogs his fist and the dog 'cowering'.

On April 22, 2021, police and RSPCA attended and found three dogs kept in a car with the windows closed and faeces and urine on the floor.

Another dog was in a separate car which also had faeces and urine on the floor.

The dogs were seized and taken to a vet who examined them.

The vet said that keeping the dogs in cars was 'unacceptable' and concluded that the dogs were thirsty and were not being fed sufficiently. The treatment of the dogs was said to be 'brutal' and 'counterproductive'.

Mitigating, Simon Lacey, said White had previously lived in Cornwall and was working in the building industry, living on site with his dogs who were happy.

He said White's issues with drugs and alcohol meant he decided to move to Dorset where his mother was living. For 'various reasons' White could no longer live with her and the only option was to live in his car.

He said White was pleading guilty on the basis that he was struggling with his mental and physical health at the time, and was struggling to walk as a result of his psoriasis.

Mr Lacey said: "His dogs were his life."

He said White accepts that he used inappropriate techniques to train his dogs and that he used inappropriate physical contact but not that he used a weapon or hit the dogs in a way that would harm them.

White has since 'changed and improved' and is now working and has his own accommodation.

Magistrates called for a pre-sentence report and adjourned the case to April 28.