STARVED DOGS RESCUE: COUPLE BANNED FROM KEEPING ANIMALS FOR TWO YEARS
A couple from Tyne and Wear have been banned from keeping animals for two years after starving their dogs.Liam Redden and Daisy Dunn, of Avon Avenue in North Shields, claimed there was nothing wrong with their pets and they were being fed.
But a vet said the condition of the dogs – one of whom was about half his ideal body weight – led her to conclude they had been suffering from starvation for at least three months.
Redden and Dunn were sentenced at Newcastle Magistrates Court on Friday 7 November following an investigation and prosecution by the RSPCA.
They had both pleaded guilty to two offences contrary to the Animal Welfare Act 2006 at an earlier hearing.
The court was told RSPCA Inspector Helen Bestwick, accompanied by a police officer, went to the couple’s home on 17 January this year after the charity had received reports about the dogs’ welfare.
They were shown into the living room by Dunn where they saw a male Presa Canario type dog named Enzo.
In her written statement to the court the Inspector said: “I was shocked at how thin Enzo was.
I could easily see his ribs, hips and spine.
He had no muscle on him and his head was concave.
He was wearing a tan collar which was hanging loosely around his neck.
“I asked if I could see the second dog who I was advised was in the kitchen as they needed to be kept separate.
I saw a male grey and white husky who I was told was called Fen.
I noticed his coat was tatty and I could easily feel his hips and ribs.
His waist was also noticeably tucked in.
“There were two empty dog bowls and no water available.
There was a dirty blanket in the corner which the dog appeared to have been lying on, but no bed, along with faeces by the door.” Dunn confirmed she and her partner Redden owned Enzo and Fen and that neither of them were receiving veterinary treatment.
She was told by Inspector Bestwick that both dogs needed to see a vet urgently and they were seized by the police officer.
Enzo was described as emaciated by the vet and given a body condition score of one out of nine.
He had severe muscle wastage and weighed 26.5kg (58.42 pounds) – an ideal weight for an adult male Presa Canario is around 50kg (110.23 pounds).
One month later, in private kennels, he had put on ten per cent of his body weight, and by mid August this had increased to 44.4kg (97.88 pounds).
Fen was severely underweight and given a body condition score of two out of nine.
He had overgrown nails and weighed 20.2kg (44.53 pounds) with an ideal weight likely being over 25kg (55.11 pounds), said the vet.
His starting weight increased by six per cent a month later, and by mid August he was just under 30kg (66.13 pounds).
In her written evidence to the court the vet said: “Both dogs appeared to be healthy, showed good ability to eat and had no underlying disease or condition that would explain their poor body conditions.
They both gained weight while in kennels.
Therefore the cause for the poor body weight is likely starvation.
“The animals had not been provided with the basic need of adequate food, resulting in starvation and malnourishment.
This is a painful and prolonged process in which physical and mental strain would have been immense.
This would have been entirely preventable by simply providing the animals with adequate food.
The length of suffering had likely been ongoing for three months, if not longer.” The court heard the defendants told the Inspector there was nothing wrong with the dogs and they were both being fed.
Redden also said a vet had stated that Enzo had “a fast metabolism.” In addition to the two-year ban on keeping animals, magistrates fined both of them £120 and they were each ordered to pay costs of £200 and a £48 victim surcharge.
Enzo is now being cared for by the RSPCA’s Felledge Animal Centre near Chester-le-Street.
He is receiving ongoing care and training and will be available for rehoming in due course – please keep an eye on the centre’s website.
