FIVE DEAD DOGS FOUND AT HOME OF WOLVERHAMPTON BREEDER WHO STARVED THEM AMID DRINK AND DRUGS
Five dead dogs were found at the home of a failed breeder who starved them as he turned to drink and drugs.The RSPCA attended Joshua Johnson's home in Wolverhampton to find four emaciated dogs, one of which was described as a 'walking skeleton'.
But as they looked further in the property they discovered five dead animals, three of which were severely decomposed.
Johnson admitted two charges of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal.
The 28-year-old mechanic, from Spring Road, Ettingshall was spared jail at Birmingham Crown Court today, Monday, November 17.
Instead he was sentenced to two years, suspended for 21 months, and banned from keeping animals indefinitely.
An RSPCA inspector went to his home on June 7, 2023 but there was no answer at the door.
Ms Patel said: "Police and the RSPCA entered his property.
He said there were no further dogs but within the property there was a female Cane Corso dog called Panther, which was described as a 'walking skeleton'." A second dog in a similar condition was found nearby and police help was needed.
Ms Patel said: "A man claiming to be a friend of the owner turned up asking what had happened.
He subsequently admitted he himself was Joshua Johnson, the occupant of the house and the owner of all the dogs." Police and RSPCA found additional dead dogs in the garage, in a shipping container, and one wrapped in tarpaulin, tied in rope and covered by fencing panels.
The four surviving dogs were assessed as severely underweight, estimated to have suffered for at least two to three weeks.
A post-mortem on two of the dead dogs indicated their deaths were likely caused by sepsis due to starvation.
Ms Patel noted this case was particularly distressing, as Johnson sourced animals with the intent to breed but chose to ignore them and let them starve rather than rehome them.
Court heard Johnson had issues with drugs and alcohol, exacerbated by family deaths and mental health problems.
The judge described the case as terrible and responsible for causing great suffering to the animals.
Johnson received a sentence of two years' imprisonment suspended for 21 months, was ordered to attend 35 days of rehab, complete a 12-month alcohol treatment, and an intensive drug rehab program, and pay £400 costs.
He was also banned from keeping animals indefinitely.
