A man from Darlington has been sentenced after causing unnecessary suffering to his dog he left in a kennel piled high with faeces without adequate access to food and water.
Alfred Patrick Gallagher of Woodland Road, Darlington, was sentenced at Peeterlee Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday 22 January.
This followed an RSPCA investigation in March this year.
An officer who attended the Woodland Road address where the dog was being kept, said: “I could hear a dog barking and crying in a kennel-type structure. I then looked into the kennel building where the dog was barking and saw a brown malinois type dog in extremely poor bodily condition and living in absolutely filthy conditions.
“Although the dog bowl on the wall was full of dry food, the dog had no access to water and the smell and living conditions were disgusting. The dog appeared petrified and was cowering in the corner of the enclosure which was littered with faeces, some of which had dried white and some of which was mouldy.
“It smelt incredibly strongly of faeces and urine so much that it took my breath away. The enclosure was very cold with empty cans and a broken jar strewn across the walkway area. It was a depressing room to be in.
“Lucy had no access to any clean living area or comfortable bedding and was forced to walk through and stand in faeces.”
Given the extent of the conditions, the RSPCA made a call to Durham Police to provide assistance at the address.
The officer added in a witness statement that the dog “had no drinking water present despite that to the side of the kennel, there was a tap which had running water”. They said that the “dog was very frightened and aggressive and was removed from the kennel area and placed in my vehicle.”
The officer took her immediately to a vet where a video shows her drinking an entire bowl of water, lapping it down thirstily.
Gallagher informed the RSPCA that he was paying a man to look after Lucy but he didn’t know where this man lived, “he just knew him from Darlington”.
A vet report concluded that the young female adult Mallinois weighed just 14.5kg (32lb) when an adult should weigh at least 20-25kg (44.1lb to 55.1lb). Her white blood cell count was normal but her bloods did show she was suffering from chronic stress. The vet report also stated that for 12 hours after admission, Lucy would drink entire bowls of water offered to her.
The vet further stated: “It is my opinion that this owner deprived this patient of food, water, and adequate shelter as well as failing to address her obvious deterioration in body condition and that this has caused unnecessary suffering. A reasonable person would have recognized her severe weight loss and sought veterinary attention. Starvation is a painful process and additionally, the loss of “padding” in her emaciated state renders her unable to tolerate cold temperatures and at high risk of hypothermia as well as increased risk of pressure sores.”
In mitigation, Gallagher said that someone else was supposed to be looking after the dog. He was sentenced to 26 weeks in custody – suspended for 18 months – and was banned from keeping all animals for 10 years which cannot be appealed against for at least five years. He was also ordered to pay £720 in costs and a £154 Victim Surcharge.
Lucy gained weight and started to look more healthy, however, her earlier seen aggression continued at the private boarding kennels where she was being cared for and very sadly despite the best efforts of the team who worked with her, she was put to sleep due to her severe behavioural issues.
An RSPCA spokesperson said: “This was a sad case where this poor dog had been neglected and left in her own filth without adequate food or water for considerable time.
“Understandably, Lucy was wary and aggressive towards people after everything she had been through. It’s an example, not just of the physical state animals can suffer from but the emotional scars too and it’s heartbreaking that this didn’t have a happier ending for poor Lucy.”
