A man has been jailed and banned from keeping dogs for five years after letting his dog suffer with a painful skin disease for up to six months. His pet Mylo's skin was thickened, pink, flaky, scabby and bleeding on his legs, feet, stomach, chest and genital area, a court heard.
The RSCPA said the male tan chihuahua type also had obvious fur loss and pinkness around his eyes and nose and was biting and scratching at his irritated skin. He was rescued from outside a supermarket by a member of the public along with a black and white female chihuahua, called Lily, who needed an urgent dental procedure to remove loose teeth as she had dental disease.
RSPCA Inspector Amy McIntosh said both dogs were microchipped which enabled them to establish that Stephen Hopkinson, from Fleetwood in Lancashire, was the owner of the pets. He has now been jailed and banned from keeping dogs, LancsLive has reported.
A court heard that, when Hopkinson was questioned the next day, he told Inspector McIntosh he had returned to the supermarket to get the dogs that morning.
This meant that had the dogs not been removed by the passer-by they would have potentially been tied up outside for nearly 24 hours. Following a trial last year, Hopkinson was found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to Mylo, failing to meet Lilly’s needs and failing to meet both dogs’ needs by leaving them unattended for an extended period without adequate care and supervision.
Hopkinson, of Southwood Avenue, Fleetwood, has now been sentenced to four weeks in jail after he lost his appeal against convictions for animal cruelty. The 28-year-old was found guilty of three animal welfare offences and sentenced at Lancaster Magistrates’ Court in November.
At that hearing he was banned from keeping dogs indefinitely following the prosecution brought by the RSPCA. On Friday (March 25), his appeal against conviction and sentence was heard at Preston Crown Court.
However, the bench dismissed the appeal and sentenced him to four weeks immediate custody. His indefinite ban from keeping dogs was reduced to five years and his £500 costs from the magistrates' court hearing was upheld.
He was also ordered to pay a £96 victim surcharge and a deprivation order was passed for both dogs which will allow the RSPCA to find them a new home.
After the appeal hearing Inspector Mcintosh said: "I’m really pleased with the outcome of this case. These dogs have been in our care for such a long time now. They are lovely friendly little dogs and I’m so pleased they will now be able to find the new home they deserve."
