WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES
A Worthing woman has been sentenced to a 16 week suspended sentence and disqualified from keeping animals after two severely emaciated dogs – one of which had died – were found at her property.
In a case brought by the RSPCA, Amy Page of Worthing, West Sussex, pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to the two dogs and was sentenced at Brighton Magistrates’ Court on 5 August.
Her prison sentence was suspended for 24 months with a requirement to complete fifteen RAR (rehabilitation action requirement) days. As well as being disqualified indefinitely from keeping animals, she was ordered to pay legal costs of £400 and a victim surcharge cost of £128.
The court heard that after the animal charity had received an anonymous call about one dead dog and another very emaciated live dog at Page’s address, RSPCA Animal Rescue Officer (ARO) Marie Stevens had visited the property and asked to check on the dogs. Page refused, but ARO Stevens then spotted the defendant dragging an extremely thin dead black dog from the garden towards the back door of the house.
Marie Stevens said: “Despite what I had observed, Ms Page repeatedly denied there was a dead dog on her property, but did take me through the house into the rear garden to show me a live, very emaciated tan and white dog, named Princess. The dog was cowering and appeared frightened. I could clearly see all of her ribs, spine and hip bones. There appeared to be no food or drink available for the dog.
“After pressing her repeatedly about the dead dog I had seen her dragging, she eventually admitted to me that her dog Prince had died and was upstairs in the bathroom. I found Prince – lifeless – under a sheet. He was extremely thin, with ribs, backbone, hips, and shoulders all clearly visible and it was clear he had also been suffering from a bad ear infection.”
Page agreed to sign both dogs over to the RSPCA, and ARO Stevens took the animals to a local vet. On examination, the vet discovered that the live dog, Princess, was emaciated, with an extremely low body condition score of one (out of nine). Her ribs and bones of the pelvis and spine were very visible and she appeared depressed though responsive. When Princess was offered food she ate voraciously.
The vet reported that the body of Prince, the dead dog, was also emaciated; his ribs, pelvic bones and spine were easily visible. A blood sample showed significant changes in the liver and kidney, suggesting organ failure. This dog was transferred to Royal Veterinary College for a post mortem examination.
Speaking after the hearing, ARO Stevens said: “Prince and Princess were dependent on their keeper and Ms Page broke that trust by leaving them to suffer and one to die. Page could have asked for help or handed them over to an animal charity to be re-homed but instead decided to simply neglect them, leading to a period of prolonged suffering and in the case of one of the dogs, death.”
Princess has made a full recovery and has since been re-homed.
