Bilston couple admit causing suffering to pet dog after RSPCA discover bad treatment
A couple from the Black Country have pleaded guilty to animal cruelty charges against their pet Staffordshire bull terrier.
Ricky Freeman and Kelly Steventon kept their family pet called Tyson chained to a kennel surrounded by faeces, Wolverhampton Magistrates' Court was told.
They had been inspected by the RSPCA in July 2011 at their home in Tame Road, Bilston, and were warned they needed to improve conditions for the animal. During the inspection it was found that the animal had no bedding and the pet had been kept on a chain in a communal garden.
Two months later a check-up found conditions for the animal had improved but in December of that year the Staffordshire bull terrier's weight had deteriorated.
Mr Roger Price, prosecuting, said Steventon blamed Tyson's living conditions and weight loss on the fact Freeman had been having 'family problems'.
Mr Price said: "The defendant was told that the dog had a mass in its stomach and was advised that it needed to be euthanised." The dog was eventually handed over to the RSPCA in January of this year.
Ms Debbie Starr, defending, said the couple kept the dog outside because neighbours had made numerous complaints to Wolverhampton City Council.
Freeman, aged 28, pleaded guilty to two charges of failure to prevent the causing of unnecessary suffering to an animal.
Steventon, 24, pleaded guilty to one charge of the same offence.
The couple will be sentenced on August 20.
