GREENOCK NEIGHBOUR HEARD DOG SUFFER
A WOMAN who reported her fears for a neglected dog that suffered in agony today claimed she was told by welfare chiefs that the pet was ‘fine’.Dog lover Rachel Murphy, pictured, said she was made to feel like an ‘idiot’ by the Scottish SPCA — and believes they should have acted faster to save border collie Suki.
The poor pet had to be put down because of cruel owner John Malone, 58, of Greenock, who has since been banned from keeping animals for 10 years.
But Rachel believes a chance was missed to save the dog’s life.
She said: “I phoned the SSPCA about a year ago to tell them about that dog.
“They told me they had been up to see it and that it was fine, just old and on medication, so there was nothing to worry about.
“But I was so worried — I used to hear an actual scream from it.
“I tried to help the dog but got made to feel like an idiot as they said the screeching was a door.
“It sickens me to know that people can be so cruel and disgusting to let a dog suffer for that amount of time.” The Tele reported last week how nine-year-old Suki was so ill she couldn’t even lift her head off the floor.
She had become blind, deaf and almost bald through neglect.
An animal welfare officer from the SSPCA confronted Malone on 6 September last year, taking the dog away for treatment.
But by that time it was too late and vets decided to end her suffering.
Scottish SPCA chief inspector Hamish Mackintosh today responded to Ms Murphy’s claim.
He confirmed they visited Malone’s house on 10 December 2012, the day after receiving a call to its helpline.
Mr Mackintosh said: “While she was suffering from a skin complaint, she was receiving veterinary treatment for this at the time and we were able to confirm this with the vet.
“We advised the owners to continue with her mediation and seek veterinary advice as soon as possible if her condition deteriorated, but at that stage we had no just cause to remove her.
“The complainer also alleged Suki appeared frightened of her owners and cowered around them but our inspector saw no evidence of this and she had no injuries consistent with being hit.
“We received no more calls about Suki until September 2013, when we attended again and found her condition had deteriorated.
“Had further concerns been raised to us prior to this we absolutely would have investigated.”
