A woman has been banned from keeping animals for 10 years and sentenced to unpaid work after her pet dog was found dead in a bin at her Wearside home.
Rachel Burke, of Dene Street in Hetton-le-Hole, was prosecuted by the RSPCA after inspectors made the appalling discovery of the emaciated body of the lurcher which had been placed inside a bin bag in a wheelie bin in the backyard.
The black-coloured canine weighed just 9.7kg, which would have been less than half the ideal body weight of a similar dog. A post-mortem later revealed Blue, who was six-and-a-half years old, had died from a gastrointestinal disease.
Read more: Eight Newcastle schools to get knife crime 'champions' after teen 'stabbing' tragedies
A vet’s expert report concluded the dog would have been suffering for months through malnutrition. He was in an emaciated state and scored one out of ten on a body score assessment when scores of four and five are typical of healthy canines.
A black labrador puppy was also found running around the property at Dene Street in Hetton-le-Hole when the inspectors visited on January 16 this year after the RSPCA received a call about animals being left unattended.
The puppy, called Floyd, was immediately taken into the care of the charity because of the hazards presented by his living environment.
Furthermore, the floors of the home were strewn in faeces and there was no food or water left for the dogs. An outside dog pen was also in a filthy condition.
Burke was convicted of two offences under the Animal Welfare Act in her absence after she failed to attend an earlier court appearance. She was convicted of causing unnecessary suffering to Blue by not addressing his weight loss and also of failing to provide a suitable environment for both Blue and Floyd.
On November 16, she appeared for sentencing at Newton Aycliffe Magistrates’ Court, where she was ordered to complete 220 hours of unpaid work as part of a two-year community sentence.
RSPCA Inspector John Lawson said in a witness statement presented to the court that while he was outside the property a resident showed him a phone camera image of a dead dog laying next to a pink water container in the yard.
He said: “We checked the wheelie bin in the rear garden and at the top of the bin was a black bin bag with a small hole in it. To the touch and through this hole it was clear the bag contained a deceased dog and his colour was the same as the dog in the photograph.”
Officers from Northumbria Police were called and after they gained access to the property the extent of the poor living conditions the dogs were kept in became apparent.
Inspector Lawson added: “There were no dog food or water bowls. There was an empty bag of Wagg dog food on top of the fridge and some dog treats on the kitchen counter, however no other dog food was seen.
“Upstairs the floor of what appeared to be a child’s room was littered with dog faeces. The toilet in the bathroom was blocked and full of human excrement.”
As the inspectors were about to leave the property Burke appeared with a man, who said they had just returned from London.
The inspector recalled the extent of the dog’s emaciation when the canine’s body was taken for examination to a local vets practice.
“It was devastating to see how thin he was. His ribs, spine and hips were clearly visible, there was no muscle mass and his eyes were sunken in.
“Blue’s abdomen had sunk to a level I had never seen before,” said inspector Lawson.
In mitigation, the court was told that Burke, who was previously of good character, had seen her mental health issues worsen after the break up of her relationship.
She claimed her former partner “was responsible” for the care of Blue and she could not recollect putting his body in the bin. After he died she placed him in the bin bag so her children could not see.
As well as imposing a ban and unpaid work, the magistrates also told the defendant to pay £600 court costs and a victim surcharge of £95.
Floyd is currently being looked after by RSPCA foster carers and will be rehomed soon.
After the hearing, inspector Lawson said: “It was a horrendous discovery to make, to see that a family pet had been thrown away like rubbish. This poor dog was absolutely emaciated - there wasn’t a scrap on him.”
Read next:
- Charges dropped over Gateshead 'hit and run' which left Emmerdale actress' grandad injured
- Former Whitley Bay footballer's heartache as second friend given motor neurone disease diagnosis
- Gateshead's MC Tazo records powerful rap tribute to teen stabbing victim Gordon Gault
- Hexham sex attacker convicted of 'horrifying' attack on teen victim
- 'It wasn't his time to go': How vile raider robbed tragic pensioner Billy Jackson of his chance at happiness
