A woman from South London has been handed a curfew as part of a community sentence after her French bulldog puppy sustained serious burns.
It follows an investigation by the RSPCA into the incident.
Natasha Benjafield of Middleton Road, Carshalton, pleaded guilty to two offences under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and appeared for sentencing at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court on September 13.
Magistrates placed the defendant on a six-week community order which requires her to observe a curfew at her home address between the hours of 7pm and 7am daily.
The court heard how the defendant’s nine-week-old dog Cleo was taken to an out-of-hours vet clinic on the evening of September 19 last year. The dog was suffering from thermal and chemical burns to the lower part of her body and the painful injuries, sustained in an incident at the defendant’s former address at Budge Lane in Mitcham, Greater London, may have taken place a couple of days before the visit to the clinic.
The canine was transferred to a PDSA Hospital in London the next day (September 20) and RSPCA Inspector Harriet Daliday, who attended the medical site, said in a statement to the court that she could see the dog had severe burn marks across her back legs as well as to her groin and stomach areas.
A PDSA vet who treated Cleo stated the defendant claimed Cleo had fallen into a bucket of boiling water and bleach and that attempts were made to nurse the wounds by putting the dog under a running tap and applying Savlon cream.
The vet had serious concerns for Cleo’s health as she was hyperthermic and unable to keep her food down. She was treated with intravenous fluids, antibiotics and strong pain relief and then underwent 24-hour round care at another PDSA hospital in Greater London.
Over the following week, Cleo’s wounds were managed and her condition improved, although the vet said she would have suffered “considerable pain” as the burns were inflicted at least 24 hours before she was presented to the out-of-hours clinic, but more likely between two or three days before.
A vet commissioned by the RSPCA to examine the case said that the pattern of scalding to the dog’s body was not consistent with the defendant’s explanation, although he could not draw any conclusion about the dog being the victim of deliberate harm.
“It is difficult to accept how this puppy could have jumped into a mop bucket of very hot water without sustaining any scald injuries to her neck, chest and front legs which raises the suspicion of non-accidental injury,” said the vet.
“The sites of scalding are more indicative of the dog’s entire body being out of the water with only the back legs and rear portion of her abdomen in contact with the hot water. But in my opinion from the information provided it cannot be concluded for sure that she was intentionally injured.”
But the vet added: “The defendant appears to acknowledge Cleo required veterinary care on September 17 and there was an attempt to register with the PDSA. But despite not being able to immediately register with the PDSA, there appears to have been no further attempts to try and obtain care from any other vets in the area.
“Cleo could have been presented as an emergency patient rather than waiting until 9.50pm on September 19 before getting her vet care.”
In mitigation, it was said the magistrates accepted Benjafield’s actions were not deliberate and that she had been guilty of a “momentary lapse of dgement” during a time when she was pregnant.
Benjafield also has to pay costs of £200 and a victim surcharge of £114.
Cleo was signed over into the care of the RSPCA and has since made a good recovery (pictured recently). After spending time at RSPCA Leybourne Animal Centre she has been rehomed to new owners.
