BARGOED MAN BANNED FROM KEEPING ANIMALS
A South Wales man has been banned from keeping animals for 18 months after leaving his disabled dog with a large, untreated wound on his back leg.David Tasker, of Henry Street, Bargoed, admitted two offences under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and was sentenced at Merthyr Magistrates’ Court on 8 April.
He was handed a 12‑month community order with 10 rehabilitation activity requirement days, fined £120 and ordered to pay £400 costs and a £400 victim surcharge.
The case involved his terrier cross Benji, who suffered from intervertebral disc disease and used a wheeled cart to get around.
An RSPCA inspector went to Tasker’s home on 18 July last year after a report about a dog with “wounds and maggots” and found Benji in poor condition.
One of the dog’s hind legs was wrapped in a makeshift bandage held together with parcel tape, and his underside was soaked in urine with hair loss and raised nodules over his back and rump.
Tasker told the inspector Benji was incontinent because of his paralysis and said he washed him daily, adding that he had tried to deal with maggots during hot weather using human mouthwash.
The dog was taken to the RSPCA Merthyr Clinic, where vets removed the bandage and uncovered a long open wound on the outside of the left hind foot along with smaller pressure sores.
A vet later said the urine‑soaked skin had developed nodules, some of which were ulcerated, and Benji’s left hind limb was badly swollen with a 7cm wound exposing bone at the ankle joint.
They found the joint was unstable, with some bony structures missing because of chronic infection after the wound had gone deep enough to expose the bone.
The vet concluded the injury had been present for more than a year and was unlikely ever to heal, and decided that euthanasia was the kindest option.
The court was told that Tasker has mental health and alcohol dependency issues and faces financial difficulties.
After the hearing, RSPCA inspector Sophie Daniels said Benji’s spinal disease meant he needed extensive care, but his owner had tried to manage the serious wound and skin issues himself instead of seeking prompt veterinary treatment.
