Dog owner banned over neglect of pet

A dog owner from Wolverhampton who kept his 10-month old pet in "atrocious" conditions has been banned from keeping animals for life.

Labrador Poppy was emaciated and without food or water for a month when she was rescued from Martin Cook's filth-covered kitchen by the RSPCA, Wolverhampton Magistrates Court was told.

Prosecuting, Mr Roger Price told the court yesterday the RSPCAworker could see Poppy through the kitchen window.

"The kitchen was disgusting and although there was no open window she could smell faeces," he said. "The floor was littered with it and there were a lot of flies gathering round the window inside. It was also clear that urine was on the floor and the dog's ribs, hips and spine were visible."

Poppy weighed 15kg. A healthy dog of that breed should weigh 20-25 kg.

Cook, aged 28, turned up during the inspection and said he had been having problems with an ex-partner and had been away since July 8 last year — four weeks before Poppy was discovered on July 10.

The court heard that Cook, 28, had been looking after the dog on behalf of another owner. Cook, of Maxwell Road, All Saints, pleaded guilty to two offences of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal and failing to ensure welfare for an animal at a previous hearing. Mr Martin McNamara, defending, said it was a case of neglect, not deliberate mistreatment.

Cook was handed a 12-week prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, told to pay £250 court costs and carry out 100 hours of unpaid work. Magistrates chairman Roger Cheshire told Cook the animal had been kept in "atrocious" conditions.