Rspca found dogs living in filthy home
CouPle fined and banned from keePing dogs after one animal Put down and others removed
A couple have been banned from keeping dogs for three years after their five Malamutes were found in disgusting living conditions filled with faeces and dangerous litter.
One of the pets discovered by police at Stacey Kenny and Thomas Robinson’s Newsome home had be put down.
The couple claimed that the animals suffered poor health after the officers damaged their freezers during a previous raid and the chicken carcases they fed them perished.
But they pleaded guilty to a charge under the Animal Welfare Act of failing to ensure that the needs of the pets were met by not providing them with a suitable environment.
Andrew Davidson, prosecuting on behalf of the RSPCA, told Kirklees Magistrates’ Court that on April 6 last year police went to the couple’s home in Ashenhurst Avenue for an unrelated matter.
He said that the officers found the five dogs, named Nova, Atka, Rico, Luna and Innuk, roaming free in the garden, which was strewn with dangerous metal and other debris and “liberal quantities of dog faeces.”
One of the pets was emaciated and lethargic and the RSPCA was called, with arrangements made for a local vet to examine the animals.
Mr Davidson said that they were being kept in dirty and damp outbuildings containing fraying mattresses.
He told the Huddersfield court : “There was a large amount of rubbish lying around and would have caused blockages if the dogs had ingested them.
“The pieces of metal could have caused wounds and the old food containers would have caused problems if ingested.
“The faecal matter would have exposed them to increased infection and worms and would have caused sores and skin infections.
“The dogs’ needs were not being met. They need a dry, comfortable resting area and areas should be free of hazards.”
All five of the dogs were subsequently removed from the house but later returned to the couple.
Mr Davidson said that during a subsequent visit to the house by police, their conditions were slightly improved but still far from pristine.
He told the court that the dog named Rico had to be put to sleep for health reasons.
Sonya O’Brien, mitigating, said that the couple, both 34, depend on benefits and at the time had their young son living with them.
She explained that prior to the police visits there were no concerns raised about their animals and they both had longstanding experiences of dealing with that particular breed.
Mrs O’Brien said: “As a result of a very thorough police search damage was caused to their fridge freezers and the defendants, having a low income, had no cushion to repair them.
“The raw food diet perished and they were not in a position to replenish these stores. The alternative biscuit diet, the defendants think, caused their (the dogs’) weight loss.”
She explained that due to the two raids on her clients’ home they were evicted and now live separately, Kenny in Liversedge and Robinson in Manchester.
They have a new baby but their financial improved.
Mrs O’Brien said: “The loss of the dogs to them is quite devastating.
“They concede that their current circumstances are not such that they can offer to have another dog.”
Deputy District Judge Edward Barr made a deprivation order removing the four surviving dogs from the couple’s care.
He also disqualified them from keeping dogs for the next three years.
Both of them have to pay a £100 fine each as well as £100 towards prosecution costs and £30 victim surcharge. This will be deducted from their Universal Credit benefits.