A family from Balsall Common has condemned the 'distressing' abuse of their dogs by pet sitters they hired while on a four-week holiday in July and August 2024. Pregnant Paige Williams, 26, and her partner Bradley Regan Archer, 27, were paid £1,400 to care for three dogs, two cats and two birds, but instead subjected two German Shorthaired Pointers to repeated mistreatment.
The owners discovered the abuse upon returning home, when they reviewed footage from kitchen and garden cameras. They submitted 51 videos to the RSPCA, showing Williams and Archer shouting, swearing, dragging the dogs by their collars, holding them off the ground, and pushing them through doorways. The attacks involved 13-month-old Ayrton and three-year-old Frieda; the other animals were unharmed.
Williams, who operated as Fur & Filly PetCare Services, and Archer appeared at Coventry Magistrates’ Court on April 8. Williams pleaded guilty to failing to meet the needs of the dogs under the Animal Welfare Act; Archer changed his plea to guilty on the day of trial. Magistrates sentenced Williams to a 12-month community order with 140 hours of unpaid work, and Archer to a 12-month community order with 40 hours of unpaid work. Both were banned from keeping animals for seven years.
RSPCA Inspector Ben Jones said the family had trusted the pair, but their care 'fell below the standards the law requires'. A vet stated the dogs showed signs of anxiety and stress from the handling. In mitigation, the court heard that Ayrton was a lively, young dog and that Williams was struggling with early pregnancy hormones.
The family had used Williams several times before without issue. After the abuse, they did not pay the invoice. In one clip, Williams appeared to speak to the cameras, saying: 'I will never look after your dogs again, my animals have suffered this month.'
