PEACEHAVEN DOG WALKER LEFT ANIMAL IN HER CAR FOR HOURS
A dog was left to die after it was “forgotten” about in the boot of a car for six hours, a court heard.Brighton Magistrates Court was told dog walker Allanna Bergin-Parsons, from Peacehaven, was “completely hysterical” when she discovered Welsh border collie Labrador mix Frankie hours after she “believed she had taken him home”.
The 28-year-old had been walking the three-year-old for 16 weeks before the incident on July 24.
The court was told Bergin-Parsons picked up Frankie at around 9am for a walk with another dog, which was successfully taken home, and that he should have been dropped off back at home afterwards.
The dog owners returned around 6pm and could not find Frankie.
On contacting Bergin-Parsons, she insisted she dropped him “hours ago”.
But she discovered the dead dog in her car’s boot, which had the parcel shelf removed.
Frankie had no access to food, water, or fresh air.
She texted Frankie’s owners “he’s here and it’s not good news”.
Frankie’s owners described him as a “highly intelligent companion” and were devastated by his death.
Bergin-Parsons, of Rowe Avenue North, pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal.
She was sentenced to a community order with 80 hours of unpaid work and ordered to pay £85 costs, a £114 court surcharge, and £1,048 in compensation to Frankie’s owners.
The magistrates described the incident as “neglect rather than malicious cruelty” and said her actions were “careless”.
She is described as “extremely remorseful” and “animal lover” who vows not to care for dogs again after the tragedy.
