A South London dog owner who failed to investigate her pet’s drastic weight loss has been handed a 10-year animal ban after a prosecution by the RSPCA.
Shereane Brown of Augusta Court, Old Kent Road, pleaded guilty to one offence under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 in that she caused unnecessary suffering to her dog, a female bull breed called Stone, by failing to investigate her loss of weight and poor body condition.
The defendant appeared for sentencing at Thames Magistrates’ Court on October 1 where as well as the disqualification she was also placed under a 12-month community order with a requirement that she complete 150 hours of unpaid work.
The court heard how Brown’s dog suffered neglect as a result of the defendant’s failure to address her weight loss and seek out veterinary treatment.
RSPCA Animal Rescue Officer (ARO) Sidonie Smith and Inspector Mike Beaman attended at Brown’s flat in the Old Kent Road on December 13 last year after the charity’s cruelty line received a video showing a thin dog left on the balcony of the property.
After they saw that the two-year-old grey and white dog was in an emaciated state, the canine was seized by the police and placed in the care of the RSPCA who took her to RSPCA Finsbury Park Animal Hospital.
In a statement to the court the ARO Smith said: “Stone was severely emaciated and had pressure sores all over her rear end. Her paws were red and sore, with long claws and she also had scabs on her ears. She was very subdued and just stayed in a sitting position the whole time I was in the flat. When I had asked the defendant how her dog came to be so underweight she stated it was not her dog and that her son had brought it home a few months ago.
“She said she’d been trying everyday to get her registered at a vets because she wasn’t putting on weight. I asked why, if she was worried about the dog, and if she couldn’t get through to a vet, she didn’t just walk into a practice.
“On the way back to my vehicle Stone struggled to walk and fell a few times on her front legs. She seemed very weak and she was shaking.”
On admission to Finsbury Park Animal Hospital Stone weighed only 13.05kg. She was found to be microchipped to a different address, where she was registered under the name of Maple.
The canine scored one out of nine on a body condition (when a healthy score would be five) score and a vet, who examined her, said her condition was the result of starvation and not underlying disease.
“I believe that Stone was fed an inadequate diet which led to her becoming emaciated. She was suffering for at least four weeks, but it is likely that it was for longer,” stated the vet.
“Pressure sores are common in underweight dogs, especially if they are not provided with padded bedding. Her condition would have been obvious to a lay person and her suffering could have been avoided by feeding an appropriate diet and seeking veterinary advice.”
In mitigation the court was told the defendant had shown remorse and it was said she did “her incompetent best for the dog”.
Brown was also told to pay court costs of £1,500 and a victim surcharge of £114.
Stone received treatment at the RSPCA hospital and in the charity’s care she has put on weight – by early February this year it had almost doubled – and her pressure sores and ulcerations on her legs have healed. She is currently being cared for at RSPCA-approved private boarding kennels in Kent and the charity will now try to find her a loving new home.
Speaking after the sentencing, Inspector Beaman said: “The defendant had enough time to address Stone’s weight loss. If she was really struggling to feed the dog properly then she could have sought help from the RSPCA’s foodbank scheme or at one of our local branches.
“Stone’s weight loss was so concerning that had the defendant just walked into a local vets the dog would have been seen and treated.”
