According to the recently published animal cruelty stats, Britain has seen an increase in cases of cruelty to dogs.
Dogs have suffered a 34% rise in the number of cruelty cases brought against their abusers from 2006 to 2007.
Case Studies:
Dog unidentifiable after being starved
Birkenhead, Wirral, Merseyside
Deputy Chief Inspector Leanne Hardy
Case number 07-0117
A dog was so thin when he was taken to the RSPCA centre in Wallasley, Merseyside, that staff and volunteers couldn’t identify what breed he was. The male boxer bull-mastiff-cross had been starved to half his natural body weight.
Andrew Ward (d.o.b 26.02.83) of Alwen Street, Birkenhead, pleaded guiltyto causing unnecessary suffering by failing to provide adequate diet and failing to exercise reasonable supervision of the dog, called ‘Buster’. He was banned from keeping all animals for five years, given a supervision order for two years to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work and ordered to pay costs of £300 at Wirral Magistrates Court in March 2007
RSPCA deputy chief inspector Leanne Hardy said: “Buster was in a pitiful state when he came to our attention. He was very thin, hadn’t been exercised and had nosocial skills. He was really timid and frightened of everything.”
Animal centre manager Joanne Hughes said: “It was touch and go whether Buster would make it at all when he first arrived. He had to be fed a couple of spoonsful of food every few hours and it took months for him to recover physically.
“Mentally, he needed a lot of TLC, but when he left us he was a beautiful, bouncy dog with a lovely personality.”
Dogs withering away in owner’s back yard
Sheffield, South Yorkshire
Inspector Damien Woolliscroft
Case number 06-1738
Four whippet-cross dogs were caused unnecessary suffering after being fed an inappropriate diet for weeks. They were found in December 2006 severely emaciated and ‘withering away’ in a pen in a man’s back yard.
Magistrates in Sheffield heard that Richard Johnson (d.o.b. 11.11.64), of Southey Crescent, had been providing food and water for the dogs – a tan male called Jip, a light brown male called Smokey, a tan male called Gizmo and a white and tan male called PG – but not of a good enough quality or large enough amount.
He was found guilty in his absence of failing to provide an appropriate diet suitable for the dogs’ breed, age, sex and condition.
In October 2007 he was banned from keeping animals for life, handed a two-year conditional discharge and ordered to pay £250 costs. In mitigation, the court heard that Mr Johnson hadn’t set out to deliberately harm the dogs and had simply tried to change their diet. RSPCA Inspector Damien Woolliscroft said: “When I first saw these dogs I couldn’t believe the shocking physical condition they were in. It was clear they had been caused a great deal of suffering.”
All of the dogs have since been re-homed from the RSPCA’s Doncaster, Rotherham and District Branch Animal Centre.
One bowl of food and water for five weeks
Halifax, West Yorkshire
Inspector Nicky Foster
Case number 06-1192
Tony the lurcher was locked in a shed with another dog for five weeks with only one bowl of food and one bowl of water between them. He’d lost half his body weight when the RSPCA found him in July 2006. Sadly, his mate had died.
Geoffrey William Abel (d.o.b. 13.08.84), formerly of Dodgeholme Gardens, Halifax, pleaded guilty to abandonment as well as to neglect by failing to provide an adequate diet and neglect by unreasonably confining the animals in an environment detrimental to their health and well-being.
In May 2007, Calderdale magistrates banned him from keeping animals for 10 years, gave him a three-month prison sentence suspended for 12 months, a 12-month supervision order, 80 hours of unpaid work and ordered him to pay £250 costs.
Tony was barely alive - with no strength to stand or move his head - and was curled up around the body of the other dog. Inspectors had to demolish part of the shed to rescue him.
RSPCA Inspector Nicky Foster said: “What happened to these dogs was despicable. Tony weighed just 5.9kg when we found him.
A dog of his age and size should have been around 20kg. It was a battle to keep him alive that night.”
After three weeks of intensive rehabilitation and care Tony was taken to the RSPCA Halifax Animal Centre, from where he was re-homed by Mrs Jenny Bentley. She said: “He’s developed into a happy, healthy young dog, full of life and exuberance.
Dog had football-sized ulcerated tumour
Stoke-On-Trent, Staffordshire
Inspector Dawn Burrell
Case No: 06-1190
A large, infected and untreated tumour on the underside of a cross-breed dog became ulcerated and bled as it dragged on the ground. The dog, Zara, cried when touched and screamed when RSPCA Inspector Dawn Burrell lifted her into her van. Zara also had a face wound and long, overgrown nails when she was collected from a property in Leyland Green, Fregg Hayes, Stoke-on-Trent in July 2006.
The dog showed signs of pain and mild aggression when examined at the vets’. The wound on the animal’s left cheek was the result of a longstanding tooth root abscess, which had erupted through her face. The dog’s nails were at least twice the normal acceptable length.
The vet concluded the abdominal growth was likely to have been there for several months. Its sheer size was pulling at the abdominal tissues and causing pain. The tooth abscess was also causing pain. The vet said that both ailments would have been obvious to any caring owner and had caused the dog unnecessary suffering for a period of at least four months and probably considerably longer. The lack of care had caused pain, debility and could have led to life-threatening conditions.
Paul Smith, aged 52, pleaded guilty to two charges of neglect. Mr Smith had been aware of the dog’s suffering but said that because he was on benefits he couldn’t afford to take her to the vets.
In March 2007, Newcastle-Under-Lyme magistrates banned him from keeping any animal for life, gave him a community punishment order of 180 hours and ordered him to pay costs of £450 and £1,077.63 in compensation.
Inspector Dawn Burrell said: “Zara was suffering for months. Her owner knew she was suffering yet did nothing to alleviate her pain. This case should serve as a warning to any pet owner that when your animal is clearly in need of veterinary treatment they must receive it. If you have financial problems you can ask for help from animal welfare charities, friends or colleagues. Sitting back and doing nothing is not an option.”
After veterinary treatment, Zara went on to make a full recovery and was rehomed. Sadly, she died of natural causes in November 2007.
Flea collar cuts into dog’s neck
Inspector Christine McNeil
Cardiff
Case no: 07-0013
A dog’s flea collar cut through its skin into the soft tissues and caused a deep neck wound because the collar was left on although the dog outgrew it. The 27cm (10.6ins) collar had to be surgically removed by a vet and was 11cm (4.3 ins) shorter than the circumference of the dog’s neck.
Wayne O’Brien (24/3/1961) and Karen O’Brien (11/3/1963) from Glanmuir Road, Tremorfa, Cardiff pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to their six-month-old Rottweiler dog at Cardiff Magistrates Court on 24 July 2007. Sentencing in September, the court banned both from keeping animals for three years, as well as imposing a 12-month community order on Mr. O’Brien and an 18-month community order on Mrs O’Brien.
The court heard that Mrs O’Brien had numerous health problems at the time of this incident and that Mr O’Brien had been in custody for another matter.
Within a matter of days after the removal of the flea collar, the dog died from the Parvo virus, a condition unrelated to the wound.
RSPCA Inspector Christine McNeil said: “This poor creature was in great distress by the time I was involved. The flea collar had torn its flesh, resulting in great discomfort and pain. This is the worst injury of its kind that I have ever seen and this suffering could have been avoided if the owners had exercised their proper responsibility.”
Great Dane breeder guilty of neglect
Beguildy, Knighton, Powys
Inspector Phil Lewis
Case no: 06-1445
A dozen emaciated, pot-bellied, young Great Dane puppies found at premises in Beguildy, Knighton, Powys, in September 2006 had raw skin and were unable to stand or walk. They were among 18 puppies, aged between seven and nine weeks old, which had been removed from the premises following an investigation by RSPCA Inspector Phil Lewis.
David Martin, the expert vet who examined all the puppies, found 12 puppies were in the worst condition. Their poor state was a result of rickets – insufficient calcium in their diet. Four puppies died because of their condition.
Great Dane breeder, Valerie Ann Whitehouse (48), from Bequildy, Knighton was found guilty of three charges of causing unnecessary suffering to puppies.
On 7th September 2007, Llandrindod Wells magistrates banned Whitehouse for three years from keeping puppies six months old or under, ordered her to pay costs of £5,000 and gave her a conditional discharge for 18 months.
An appeal was heard at Cardiff Crown Court in December 2007. The court concluded that the case against Mrs Whitehouse was “emphatically proved” and increased the ban to apply to all dogs for three years, ordering her to pay the appeal costs in full (£32,111.27). The defence’s bid to take the matter to the High Court was judged “frivolous” by the court and was turned down.
Dog left in filthy cage without food
Inspector Kirsty Hampton
Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire
07-0900
An 18-month-old dog was found in a filthy cage at Rainborough Gardens in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, in June 2007.
Black Labrador cross Kaiser had been kept in the cage without food or water. His coat was covered in excrement and there were urine scalds on his right side and paw, caused by sitting or standing in urine. He was also very underweight.
Drew Bevan (27) of Jansel Square, Aylesbury, pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering and expressed remorse about leaving the dog in this environment. Aylesbury Magistrates Court banned him from keeping animals for five years in September 2007, as well as imposing a £1,000 fine and ordering him to pay £300 in costs.
RSPCA inspector Kirsty Hampton said: “This dog was left to suffer in appalling conditions, for which there can be no excuse.”
Chained up dog starved to death
Inspector Phil Pidcock
Immingham, Lincolnshire
07-0744
A dog died from starvation in March 2007 after being left chained and padlocked to a wall. His decaying body was discovered still lying in the basket where he had been left to die.
Bono had been left at first for two or three days at a time, then was left without food for a whole week in March. His owner, Emma Jane Orchard (26) returned to find him dead but left the body there where it was discovered weeks later.
An examining vet found that Bono was emaciated and had suffered for at least four to six weeks.
Orchard, of Barnards Walk, Immingham, pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering at Grimsby Magistrates Court in October 2007. She was given a three-month prison sentence which was suspended for 18 months, plus an 18-month supervision order. She was also banned from keeping animals for life and ordered to pay £500 towards costs.
In mitigation, Orchard said she was having family and personal problems.
RSPCA inspector Phil Pidcock said: “We understand that people have difficulties but there is no excuse for leaving a dog to die a slow, lonely death from starvation.
“I hope the sentence will serve as a warning to other owners that to treat a pet in this way is absolutely unacceptable.” | 
