No pet ban for dog neglect couple.

Dog had various ailments but Fife pair refused to have him put down

A Dunfermline couple who neglected their dog so badly it had to be put down can still keep animals.

Rocco had a long list of ailments, including a hole on the side of his face because of an untreated infection.

Amanda Hunter, 51, and Anthony Paton, 52, of Macbeth Road, appeared at Dunfermline Sheriff Court to admit causing their pet unnecessary suffering between July 15 and September 2 last year.

Depute fiscal Azrah Yousaf told the court the Scottish SPCA received a report about the condition of Rocco in September. The dog was being neglected and had an ear infection which was not being treated, leading to the skin opening up so the jaw was visible.

Paton told them the dog had been taken to a vet on August 31. They had been told by the vet that the dog should be put down but this was not done.

“It had a gaping and weeping hole on the side of its face,” said the depute.

The dog was removed from the house and the pair were told they were going to be charged. Rocco’s weight was 24.8kg when it should have been 30 to 35kg, said the depute. The dog also had fleas and was suffering from hair loss.

The dog was euthanised because of its condition. The SSPCA had noted that there were other animals in the house including a dog, rabbits and frogs.

A motion to ban the couple from keeping animals for two years was denied by the court.

Elaine Buist, for Hunter, said her client was “distraught about the way Rocco’s life ended”.

She added: “She simply didn’t appreciate the way things would deteriorate.”

Ms Buist said her client was very concerned about being banned from keeping animals and that another dog in her care, Casper, the brother of Rocco, was healthy and well looked after.

Solicitor Sarah Meehan, for Paton, said: “It is accepted that this is a particularly sad case. They did take the dog to the vet but failed to carry out the vet’s advice.”

Sheriff Craig McSherry said: “This is not the usual case of animal neglect where animals are left to forage for food around houses.”

He also accepted pet owners “can be swayed by their emotions not to take advice”.

He deferred sentence until January 31 to give the couple time to donate £400 each to the SSPCA.