Man jailed for training dogs to attack and kill cats, badgers and deer

Key Points

John Dysart trained dogs to attack and kill other animals in the most brutal way including cats, badgers and roe deer
He filmed and shared some of the killings online
The Scottish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said the suffering Dysart inflicted was ‘appalling’
He has been sentenced to ten months in prison and banned from owning animals

A man has been jailed for training dogs to attack and kill cats, badgers and deer.

John Dysart set his lurchers on animals, biting and ripping them apart in unknown locations in Alloa between February 1, 2022, and September 27, 2023.

He also published a video of an animal fight taken in the town’s Whins Road.

Dysart owned equipment “designed or adapted for use at an animal fight”, including shovels, a fork, snares, camouflage clothing, high-powered lamps, and mobile phones.

He was due to go on trial at Alloa Sheriff Court but pled guilty at the last minute.

Dysart was brought to justice after a video circulated in Alloa showing two dogs savagely attacking a domestic cat. Locals identified the lurchers as belonging to him.

Following a tip-off, the SSPCA’s Special Investigations Unit raided Dysart’s home and seized his mobile phone.

Investigators later uncovered a disturbing collection of photos and videos depicting Dysart’s dogs killing both domestic pets and wild animals.

Dysart admitted to glorifying his killing sessions by making videos and publishing them online, where he shared them with other “urban hunter” sadists.

He was also convicted of owning equipment designed or adapted for use at an animal fight, including high-powered lamps, mobile telephones, shovels, a fork, snares, and camouflage clothing.

Dysart was sentenced to ten months in prison and banned from owning animals.