Dog dies after it was left too weak to drink

The owner of a dog and four pigeons that died after being kept in "horrendous" conditions at a Wolverhampton house was today starting a two-month jail sentence.

Michael Bowyer, aged 26, left his pets to starve for weeks and was jailed at Wolverhampton Magistrates Court after pleading guilty to animal cruelty charges. The court heard how a Staffordshire bull terrier was so weak, it could not stand up to reach a bowl of water after RSPCA inspectors visited following a tip-off from a concerned neighbour.

Lennox, aged 10, was found whimpering on a cushion at Bowyer's house in Beddow Avenue, Bilston, while in an adjoining room there were 22 pigeons in a cupboard, four of them dead from a lack of food and water.

The dog – who was blind in its right eye and weighed less than half its ideal weight – did not survive.

Two spaniels, Molly and Sally, were also found in the kitchen suffering from a lack of food or water but have made a full recovery after being taken into care.

Roger Price, prosecuting for the RSPCA, said yesterday: "The walls were stained, there were live pigeons in a cupboard along with dead ones, it was dirty and filthy and just not suitable for any animal to live in."

Jobless Bowyer, who now lives in Lodge Street, Willenhall, spoke only to confirm his name and address and sat solemnly in the dock.

John Brackton, defending, said: "This man is not evil and is not a monster – he did not set out to harm these animals.

"He is guilty of simply being inadequate.

"He panicked and he made the wrong decisions.

"The defendant acknowledges that this case causes upset and nobody is more repulsed than him."

Magistrates ordered he must serve eight weeks in jail for the death of Lennox, eight weeks for the deaths of four pigeons and four weeks for underfeeding the spaniels, with each punishment running concurrently.

Bev Cooper, chairman of the bench, said: "This is so serious, custody is the only option. The living conditions were horrendous."