Dog owner locked up for cruelty
A man who let his dog become flea-ridden and emaciated has been jailed for 20 weeks and banned from keeping pets for five years.
Daniel Stringer, aged 21, formerly of Cedar Avenue, Brownhills, allowed six-year-old rotweiller Molly's lice infestation to become so bad that she began to develop bald patches.
Neighbours alerted the RSPCA to the animal's plight after becoming concerned at his emaciated state and thinning coat.
The animal was seized by inspectors, who found it had also picked up a bad ear infection from lice that had not been treated.
Stringer, pleaded guilty to four charges of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal.
Nicholas Sutton, prosecuting, told Walsall Magistrates that Stringer had failed to do anything about conditions that were clear even to the non-expert.
"He was not feeding the dog an adequate diet," he said.
"The dog was suffering with a skin condition that had been caused by a flea infestation. Unfortunately, he hadn't bothered sorting it out.
"The dog also had quite bad ear lice. It should have a shiny black coat.
"The condition was not one you would easily miss."
The court heard that Stringer had insisted during interviews with police that there was nothing wrong with the dog and that he had been feeding it.
But David Grice, defending, told the court that Stringer had relied on family and friends to feed the dog, but had been let down.
Chairman of magistrates, John Palmer, sentenced Stringer, who was already in custody for unrelated matters, to 20 weeks in prison. He was also banned from keeping pets for five years.
Mr Palmer said that Stringer could appeal to halt the ban after three years.
