THREE AMERICAN BULLDOG PUPPIES DIE AFTER COUPLE LEFT THEM STARVE
A couple from Hull, who specialised in breeding American Bulldogs, have been given a lifetime ban from owning animals following their conviction for subjecting six puppies to unnecessary suffering.The puppies were suffering from spinal deformities caused by severe malnutrition.
Stephanie Boyd, aged 42, and Daniel Jordan, aged 35, residents of Uxbridge Grove in Hull, appeared before Hull Magistrates’ Court on Friday.
They had previously pleaded guilty during a prior hearing.
In addition to the lifelong ban on keeping animals, both individuals received a four-month prison sentence, which was suspended for a year, and were ordered to pay costs amounting to £400 each.
The court was informed that on December 28, 2022, a man brought six extremely thin puppies to a rescue centre.
He claimed that his child had found them abandoned on the street.
The RSPCA was alerted, and an appeal was issued through the media by the independent rescue organisation that cared for the puppies.
Tragically, two of the puppies died overnight due to their poor condition, while the remaining four needed veterinary intervention.
Following the media appeal, a member of the public contacted the RSPCA and identified Boyd and Jordan as the breeders involved.
The court heard that RSPCA inspector Claire Mitchell visited Boyd and Jordan’s address and spoke to them.
In a witness statement presented to court, inspector Mitchell said: “I asked what had happened to their most recent puppies and Stephanie said that six puppies had been rehomed at the beginning of December to a man she didn’t know and had no details of.” The man who took the puppies to the rescue centre had left a telephone number, which matched Jordan’s phone number.
Inspector Mitchell said: “At this point I suspected that it was Daniel Jordan that had dropped off the puppies [at the rescue centre] and that they had never been dumped.” A vet who examined the surviving puppies - three males and one female - said in a witness statement that the dogs, who were aged around four months old, were in a poor body condition.
She added: “They had no muscle mass and bony prominences visible under the skin.
All four puppies had a body condition score of one out of nine, where one is emaciated, and nine is obese.
“All of the puppies had a hunched posture, appearance of curved spines and malnourishment and some live fleas were visible in their coats.” The vet added: “I suspected that the postural deformities shown in these puppies was due to malnutrition and limited exercise over a prolonged period.
“In my opinion the puppies were suffering for a minimum of two weeks to get into the condition they were in, but likely longer, possibly up to two months.
I would expect a reasonable owner to provide food suitable for the age of a dog, to achieve a healthy weight and body condition, and to seek guidance and veterinary attention if unsure what diet to provide, especially when it becomes obvious that the puppies are suffering malnourishment.” Sadly, one of the surviving puppies did not improve and was put to sleep to end their suffering.
The three other puppies made a full recovery and have since been rehomed.
Following the sentencing, Inspector Mitchell said: “They claimed the puppies had been found abandoned, but what actually happened was that Boyd and Jordan had bred them and then did not give them the proper nutrition and exercise required, resulting in them becoming ill.
It is sad that three of the puppies did not survive.
“However, the three surviving puppies went onto new homes and now have new lives.
“We’re grateful to the members of the public and the rescue centre for their help in bringing this case to court.”
