John Dysart: Alloa man to be sentenced for training dogs to attack defenceless cats

A man is due to be sentenced on Thursday after being found guilty of training lurcher dogs to attack and then setting them on defenceless cats.

John Dysart caused the domestic animals to be bitten and pulled to death at an unknown address in Alloa between February 1, 2022, and September 27, 2023.

During that time, he published a video of an animal fight from the town’s Whins Road.

Dysart was also found to own 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 be tried at Alloa Sheriff Court but changed his plea at the last minute to guilty for several charges.

Dysart was brought to justice after a video circulated in Alloa showing two dogs savagely attacking a domestic cat. Locals identified the dogs 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 top 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, namely high powered lamps, mobile telephones, shovels, a fork, snares and camouflage clothing.