Dog denied medical treatment for 6 years
Chatteris, EN (UK)Incident Date: Friday, Jun 1, 2001
Disposition: Convicted
Defendants/Suspects:
» Paula Day
» John Day
Case Updates: 1 update(s) available
A CHATTERIS couple could be banned from keeping all animals after pleading guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to their six-year-old German Shepherd, which led to it being put down.
Fenland Magistrates kept all punishment options open for Paula and John Day, of 8 Eastbourne Road, who were charged with not taking their dog Becky to the vet for a long-term skin condition. Julian Hunt, prosecuting, explained the charge related to a period of neglect from June 28 to October 18 2007.
In 2001 the RSPCA visited the family home and advised them to have Becky seen by a vet and they had complied. However, when inspectors visited again on October 18, 2007, they found the dog in such a bad condition they immediately called the police and local vet Nick Valley. The dog was taken into RSPCA care and was found to have an �obvious skin condition� including alopecia, and was bleeding, with pieces of skin hanging off. The skin also smelt and was crusty and very sore. �Her claws were long which is a classic case of neglect,� said Mr Hunt who added that Becky needed to be put down to end her suffering, which had been going on for months, if not years.
Mr Hunt read a statement from PC Hansford, a former dog-handler for the prison service, was called to the premises, who said it was possibly the worst case he had ever seen.
In interview, Paula Day (41) admitted not taking Becky to the vet for four years despite the skin condition and admitted the dog hadn�t been walked in public for 12 months. She also said she thought the puss in Becky�s eyes was sleep and was going to take her to the vet soon. John Day (51) confirmed in interview it had been four years since a vet visit. However, he said he wasn�t aware of any eye problems.
David Chapple, defending, said it was a case of �none so blind as those who will not see�. He explained that because they lived with the animal every day, they didn�t see a change in its condition. �In this case, they really did not recognise there was a problem,� added Mr Chapple. He said the dog wasn�t deliberately mistreated and it seemed happy enough, and didn�t whine or complain. Mr Chapple argued the prosecution can�t say how long the suffering went on and showed magistrates pictures of Becky allegedly taken by the couple in September 2006, which he said showed she was in a good condition. Mr Chapple said the couple were embarrassed by the situation and explained Becky was on medication for her problems.
Magistrates adjourned the case to March 4 for a pre-sentence report.
Case UpdatesA husband and wife duo were banned from keeping animals for life after their dog had to be put down due to neglect.
Horrified RSPCA officers discovered painful, bleeding cracks on German Shepherd Becky's body, as well as several lumps of skin hanging off her.
Her owners Paula (41) and John (51) Day, of Eastbourne Road, Chatteris, had left her chained to an outside kennel, causing her to develop a severe skin condition and lose hair from across her body.
They had also failed to get her treated for an eye infection and ear problems and had let her claws grow overly long.
At Wisbech Magistrates' Court on Tuesday, as well as banning them from keeping animals for life, a district judge gave them each an eight-week custodial sentence suspended for 12 months, ordered them to do 200 hours of unpaid work each and told to pay �600 costs between them.
The pair had previously pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering by failing to provide veterinary treatment for Becky, a black and tan coloured dog, in October last year.
The six-year-old pooch's condition was so bad that the examining vet advised that she be put down to prevent further suffering. The vet said Becky had been suffering for at least four months.
In sentencing, District Judge John Sheraton said this was one of the most serious cases of neglect of a dog he had seen in his career. He also said the owners had turned a blind eye to their dog's suffering.
Speaking after the court hearing, RSPCA inspector Jon Knight said: "Neglecting an animal can cause them to suffer every bit as much as if they are deliberately cruelly-treated.
"We are therefore very pleased that this case was taken so seriously by the court and hope that this sentence sends out a clear message to other owners to provide a
n adequate standard of care for their pets."
The Days are not the only people from the area to be banned from keeping animals. In March last year, Aaron Hall (26) and Samantha Parker (23), of Dingley Court, Westwood, Peterborough, were banned from keeping animals for three years after pleading guilty to a charge of causing unnecessary suffering to a dog.
Their Great Dane and Alsatian crossbreed, Rebel, was discovered emaciated to the point of starvation.
In September, Jennifer Hall (29) of School Close, Bretton, Peterborough, was banned from keeping animals after two of her tiny pups died after she left them while she went away on holiday.
And in December 2006, mother and daughter Peggy and Eve Hunt, of Fengate Close, Peterborough, were banned from keeping animals for life for a second time after RSCPA inspectors found dogs and cats living in cramped and dirty conditions. | Source: Peterborough Today - March 6, 2008
Update posted on Mar 10, 2008 - 12:45PM |
References
|
