A North Shields man has been disqualified from keeping dogs for two years after he left his dog unattended in an unsuitable environment for long periods of time and he became underweight.
Callum Paramos, 21, of Seymour Street, North Shields, appeared at North Tyneside Magistrates' Court on Thursday March 2. He pleaded guilty to one offence under the Animal Welfare Act in that he did not take steps to ensure that the needs of lurcher dog Zeus were met.
Zeus, a black-brindle short haired lurcher, was found in the Seymour Street property in August 2022. He was found to be underweight, with his bones seen protruding from his body, and had been left unattended for long periods of time.
When attending with police, RSPCA inspector Helen Bestwick described the smell of the urine in the living room as "overpowering". In mitigation the defendant claimed to have taken the dog on after a previous owner couldn't look after it and accepted he hadn't done a very good job.
Paramos was sentenced to a 20 month community order with 40 hours unpaid work and was disqualified from keeping dogs for two years. He was ordered to pay £100 costs and a victim surcharge of £114.
In a written statement presented to the court, a veterinary surgeon who examined Zeus, said he was 15% underweight and his ribs, vertebrae and pelvic bones were easily visible.
The vet said: "The ability and willingness of the dog to eat and the lack of abnormal health conditions detected on examination led me to form the opinion that a suitable diet sufficient in protein, calories and quantity had not always been available."
The vet also examined photographs of the flat which showed an "unkempt environment" while the floor of the kitchen/utility area was "littered with faecal material and looked to be wet". She concluded that the provision of a comfortable, clean and dry rest area was not met.
In a witness statement provided to the court, RSPCA inspector Helen Bestwick, said she attended the property on August 25 2022 with a police officer, where Paramos provided them entry to the ground floor flat.
"I immediately noticed a strong smell of urine," she said. "I was shown a black and white entire male Lurcher type dog which I was advised was approximately six months old and called Zeus.
"The dog was in a thin bodily condition and I could easily see its ribs, hips and spine. His nails were also long. The dog was bright, alert and friendly."
Paramos told inspector Bestwick that Zeus was fed daily and had always been thin and stated he had left the dog since 3pm the previous day.
Inspector Bestwick added: "I asked to see the flat which was sparsely furnished throughout and seemed to contain no personal belongings suggesting no-one lived there."
She added that in the living room "the smell of urine was overpowering".
"The sofa had been chewed and shredded by the dog. In the kitchen there was a large bag of Wagg dog biscuits which looked like it was nearly full.
"There was a bowl of biscuits down and a paint tray being used for water. They looked like they had just been put there. I suspected the dog was regularly being left alone in the flat for long periods of time as the property had been tidied up since the earlier visit by RSPCA inspector Keogh-Laws. The yard was full of hazards and faeces.”
The RSPCA had visited the property following concerns reported to the animal welfare charity about Zeus but were unable to gain entry. Enquiries with the police were then made and it was arranged to meet Paramos at the flat.
Zeus was seized by police and following a vet examination he was taken to RSPCA Felledge Animal Centre where he "ate readily". Zeus has now been transferred to another centre - RSPCA Bryn Y Maen Animal Centre - and is currently looking for a home.
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