The Animal Welfare Act has ensured that a former Vet Helen Hein, aged 82 years, a german shepherd breeder of Amberwell, Guildford, Surrey has been returned to Court to face charges and found guilty of ten offences under this Act. A total of 32 German Shepherds were seized from her home and will be rehomed by the RSPCA.

During the trial which lasted 5 days, Guildford Magistrates were told that a dog was found with an untreated tumour and another with a broken foot bone; some dogs were kept in poor sanitary conditions with no clean bedding or no water, or in a pen which was too small; one had a flea allergy.

Helen Hein pleaded not guilty to 13 charges and was found not guilty of three section nine offences under the Act which related to animals being able to express normal behaviour in terms of toileting, a dog being too thin and levels of ammonia.

Helen Hein was sentenced to a 28 day prison term which was suspended for 2 years. She was also banned from 'owning, possessing or controlling' more than two dogs. All the GSDs in relation to this case are in the RSPCA care or have been rehomed, at the moment Helen Hein has no dogs at her home.

Helen Hein was also ordered to pay RSPCA's costs of bringing the hearings and trial to Court which are in the region of £95,000.

For those of you like me that have a very long memory will recall previous Court appearances for Helen Hein I only hope this time that she has learnt the hard way that with dog breeding comes a responsibilty to towards the dogs that are owned.

omg I was only talking about her this morning I didnt realise she was still keeping dogs. I really hope that story has now come to and end at last for the sake of the many dogs that had suffered in her hands. I believe she started out with the right intentions breeding for temperment in fact my first shepherd had Amberwell lines not far back at all in her pedigree and she was great shepherd not bred by her I add nor were her parents it was grand parents.
Some where along the line Dr Hein went seriously down the wriong path health problems or what it is so awful that the law never managed to stop her despite the many efforts and court appearances.

> Helen Hein was sentenced to a 28 day prison term which was suspended for 2 years. She was also banned from 'owning, possessing or controlling' more than two dogs

All history repeating itself.

This has happened over and over and infact, was all filmed for a documentary many years ago.
Helen Hein has openly stated that she will ignore any court judgment and during the last ban she continued to breed and keep dogs in large numbers.

Its only age and infirmity which will stop her and to be scrupulously fair she lives in the same squalor as her 'feral' dogs.

If she doesn't pay out for the welfare of her dogs how will an 82 year old pay £95k court costs? 

Surely her home could be repossessed then? Or she could be forced to sell up and move into a smaller home(means less dogs she could have)..

I dont know the answer but suspect that she has money.

The authorities have been chasing her around for years I suspect apart from imprisonment she will continue wherever she is. I no of people who continue to try and work with her to help the dogs even rescuing dogs from her by agreement but she doesn't get it. As some said apparently she lives in a similar way herself.(He lady cleary has healthy problems its a shame she can't be stopped that way but doctors don't have many rights to interveen if someone wants to continue in their own home. Dreadful

Toolz I remember that documentary very well, I also remember swearing in a very colourful manner at the obnoxious old sow, hope to hell she'll be stopped this time.

Helen Hein has no furniture in her home, not even a bed. She sleeps in a chair in the kitchen. She is given second-hand clothes by friends. Her dogs have wrecked her home. Basically she lives in a kennel rather than her dogs live in her home. I believe that she has NO money, only her bungalow is worth anything. Yes, she has seriously gone astray and her dogs have suffered but, sadly for an educated person, she has no common sense and has the tunnel vision attitude to believe that she is right and everyone else is wrong. Without a dog for companionship, she will die but I can see why everyone will sympathise solely with the GSDs. Try to have some compassion for an old lady who has a true love of her dogs but no idea how to look after them. Hopefully the dogs will be rehomed and not just be pts by the RSPCA. History could repeat itself here and we all know what reputation the RSPCA has with GSDs.

Didn't she have someone living with her at one time who helped with the dogs?

Doctor Hein was given custody of 15 dogs after the 96 case and was supposed to have someone with her at all times. This was one of many conditions broken.

She has been prosecuted many times since. She is now exceptionally elderly and lives in the delapidated cottage surrounded by 2 acres of prime land on Newlands Corner. Yet, she has not been forced to sell the property to pay for the thousands of pounds worth of legal help and fines over the years. And still she is allowed to have back the ownership of 2 dogs.

After the raid in February all 32 GSD's (including 3 litters) were seized. The raid was massive. She refused to sign over ownership, the RSPCA finally won all of those plus the 3 more litters born shortly after the raid making in total 45 GSD's. 

Sadly instead of condeming the cottage they sent in armies of social services to clean the ingrained filth, and give her new settee and bed and bedding FOC.

The dogs were in the most frightened state and at least an army of 100 RSPCA workers have worked tirelessly to rehabilitate these dogs (see Millbrook RSPCA dogs and you will see some of them) all the pups went into foster/socialising classes and training classes. The others are still being worked on. One had untreated cancer, survived the 10 inch long mammary tumour removal, and had a good quality few months with pain relief before saying good bye when the cancer returned in force, bless her.

All this distress over one elderly lady who accepts the abnormal is normal. And the amount one reads in a court papers in just one tiny enth of what actually is found and goes on there. 

My feelings are soley reserved for the dogs that should not have been born. And all those that could not be saved prior to the raids.

I am sorry if this sounds harsh but it such a shame she cannot be considered in need of sectioning that way the two remaining dogs may be saved. Is it too much to hope that she isnt able to get any others and that these two are neutred Never understood how she wasnt forbidden from having animals for life in the 96 case.

> I am sorry if this sounds harsh

No, it doesn't.

I totally agree. Someone has to put the welfare of the dogs first because she obviously doesn't. I hope as I age I have friends who will tell me if my behaviour is unacceptable!

Yes I agree with all above. And she has had friends tell her and testify against her, but she doesnt listen. Neither will she have a neutered dog on her proerty.

The RSPCA, as always, are at the mercy of the judge.

I am decades younger than Doctor Hein and I have 2 large dogs, one which is a GSD and to give them everything they need it takes all my time and effort, how can a judge warrant giving her 2 GSD's at 83 years old??  

What i am about to say is no excuse but I caught a bit of tv programme recently discussing how some individuals develop kind of mental health problems and will hoard/collect. One of the examples given strangely was that of people it implied usually women ? who do this but choose to collect animals. They are ususally incapable of looking after them live in squalor themselves as do the animals and they seem to completely lose touch with reallity and therefore the animals suffer. Another case I saw on the Celia Hammond rescue site was that of dozens of yorkies and I do mean dozens found after the owner had died they were living in the most applaling conditions and the suffering was horrendous
Its is so sad that thse individuals cannot be dealt with appropriately to prevent the cruelty that continues
I still cant see why the judge gave her any animals at all personaly and as for not neutering surely at least that should be a condition of ownership
In my view the law and common sense is failing those animals

Hya

Yes in the USA it is known as animal hoarders and Doctor Hein is mentioned as one of these, as she rarely sells a dog. The yorkies you mention were kept by an elderly lady in Chailey near me. They were all kept in the shed in the garden, poor mites, and the family was forbidden to go into or approach the shed!!! (like that would stop me!!) but she was the head of the house and all seem to respect her wishes, dozens of dogs living in total squalor were uncovered after her death.

What law could have protected them when they were hidden from the world?

Tragic, totally tragic waste of innocent lives    

I agree no law could protect from those circumstance absoultly tragic

I was interested to read that you had a bitch with the Amberwell line albeit from the grandparents.  I had a wonderful GSD who has just died short of his 15th birthday.  Although I got him from a rescue centre near Norwich, I believe he was from Dr. Hein's original breeding programme and you couldn't fault his temprament.  By chance I got in touch with another lady who had a GSD a year older but almost identical in looks to my chap and with the same amazing character.  What a shame Dr. Hein was once able to breed such lovely animals but obviously became sick and disgraced and should never have been allowed to continue to own/breed dogs.    

Yes Doctor Helen Heins dogs, if got of the situation early enough, have the gentlest temperaments. Even a few of those that have endured a lot of unimaginable overcrowding their temperamants, shine through.

Can you imagine how utterly disgraceful that around the Surrey/Berks areas there is a trainer who 'trains' (suppresses) with an ECollar and and one these gentle GSD's has been 'controlled' by these gadgets when his only 'crime' (not) was he wanted to go and play with other dogs? at the tender age of 17 months.

How utterly cruel these people are. As with any control gadget, psycological damge will surface, but sadly they will blame it on anything but that.

Why dont people see the dogs are not working for them, nor for themselves, but only for the gadget round their neck. I despair.

I must say that my dog not directly from Dr Hein but with her lines was a beautiful temperment and I do know at least one other the whole situation is so sad and the awful thing is there are other despicable things going on with breeding and still cannot be stopped. Thank goodness there are so many decent people breeding who go above and beyond to make sure their dogs are well looked after and well bred.

Helen Hein bred some beautiful dogs.The temperaments were excellent as was the conformation etc.Its such a shame for the dogs and her.It is so sad for both that she came to this .Amberwell dogs were used by the police etc..I had a couple of dogs from her many years ago..it's a shame she can't be helped ,as well as the dogs.I hope as I'm getting older I never come to this...it's not just the animals that need help it's also the people .I feel so sorry for her dogs and also for her.

she cannot be considered in need of sectioning

Since the closers of the psychiatric hospitals concluding the early 1990's there simply isn't the facilities, inc accommodation, and staff to deal with many sectioned people.

As regards 'charities' & PTS as a whole goes.........well, a very sorry state of affairs indeed.
https://bit.ly/2LHPw4u

I still cant see why the judge gave her any animals at all

Peronaly I think the judge should be sectioned under the mental health act.

I know that this happened a very long time ago, but I knew Helen in the late 60's early 70's and her dogs were so well looked after, I actually helped her out one weekend and slept in the house, it had a doggy smell but nothing other than that, I think she had about 40 dogs back then and all perfect temperaments, she bred dogs for the police, it is so sad that things got bad for her and her dogs, I can only imagine that she started having mental health issues in later life as she was a brilliant vet.

> I know that this happened a very long time ago, but I knew Helen in the late 60's early 70's and her dogs were so well looked after,

I remember that ho-ha over her situation.   I think the KC instigated a system where if somebody got into trouble, admitted or not, there was help.  All too often people start to hoard and numbers can so quickly increase.

I knew the days were rapidly approaching for me, and when something cropped up with my bloodline (an outside stud dog I'd used for that final litter, developed epilepsy and although we'd never had that, and as it turned out, neither of the two we kept from that litter, nor, to my knowledge none of those I sold as puppies before I found out about the sire developed that either, I still felt it was the right time to stop.  I had my bitch spayed and turned away any stud enquiries for her brother.   I now have two buy-ins but they will be the last - when they go, hopefully before me, that will be it    

It's sad when people deteriorate to the point any dogs they still have start to suffer.

I agree with you, it must have been a difficult decision for you, I have never bred dogs myself but have always had GSD's, when I lost my last one about 18 months ago I knew she had to be my last, I'm not as fit as I used to be, that was a hard decision for me (and still is especially when I see a GSD pup while we are out walking) so I can't begin to imagine how hard it must have been for you to give up breeding, it's a shame Helen let things go as far as they did, I was lucky enough to have known her at her best.