Man 'prostituted his pet dog in exchange for sex with farm animals'

Situaton has become 'all too familiar', says Maricopa County Sheriff's office

Darland allegedly sought to trade sex with his dog for intercourse with farm animals (Getty)

A retired delivery driver has been arrested after he attempted to trade sex with his dog for a "liaison" with a series of farm animals, according to a sheriff's office in the US state of Arizona.

James Allen Darland, 56, was arrested after he contacted undercover an undercover detective via a website to arrange "sexual liaisons with various farm animals", the Maricopa County Sheriff's office said.

The detective posed as the owner of the animals on a farm in in the town of Wickenburg.

Darland allegedly arranged to spend days on the detective’s supposed farm in order to have sex with various animals, including miniature horses, dogs and goats.

The Sheriff's office said it had collected emails and recorded phone calls in which Darland allegedly admitted having sex with animals, including his neighbour's horse, dogs and sheep.

Darland also said that, as a delivery driver, he would have sex with customers' dogs on his delivery route, the Sheriff's office alleged.

Darland, a retired delivery driver, allegedly admitted he had had sex with customers' dogs on his delivery route (Maricopa County Sheriff's office)

Officials seized Darland's dog - which he reportedly named 'Playmate' in his correspondence with the detectives - and turned it over to animal welfare officials for an evaluation.

Darland has been charged with conspiracy to commit bestiality. The arrest is the ninth arrest on bestiality charges for the Maricopa County Sheriff's office, headed by Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

A media release from the Sheriff's office described the situation as something that "has become all too familiar to detectives in Sheriff Joe Arpaio's animal crimes unit".

It said the arrest had been due to happen a week earlier, but that "car trouble and bad weather delayed the arrangement".