A father and son have been charged after causing unnecessary suffering to an animal at Folkestone magistrates on 20th December 2023.
Robert & Jack Mills, of Elham near Canterbury, [pictured – Robert Mills (left), Jack Mills (centre) Credit: Kent Hunt Sabs] were terrier men for the Kent Hounds. An RSPCA raid in January 2023 found two dogs in their care with horrific injuries, ‘trophy photos’ of them involved in illegal hunting and incriminating messages on mobile phones.
The pair failed to get proper veterinary treatment for two dogs who were injured during fights with wild animals.
They used superglue to botch the lip of a Patterdale terrier, called Fudge, back together after the dog was maimed – likely by a fox in an underground fight.
As well as the injuries to the dogs, the RSPCA found pictures on a phone showing Jack Mills smiling and posing with a dead fox with the dog Fudge during a ‘dig out.’ Jack is standing in a hole, with a spade and typical hunt terrierman quad bike in the background.
A Hunt Saboteurs Association spokesperson said “This case highlights the shady world of fox hunting and the cruelty towards both wild animals and those in the ‘care’ of the hunters. Even ‘hunting’s governing body,’ the British Hound Sports Association, have realised that terrierwork is not good for hunting’s public image and have attempted to impose an ‘in house’ ban, but many hunts are simply ignoring this. The only solution is for the Government to ban cruel terrierwork on hunts, something the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food & Rural Affairs can do almost immediately.”
