Dog-owners jailed after pet found starved to death in filthy Birmingham flat

RSPCA officers were called to a property on Tansley road, Birmingham in June 2023 after concerns were raised about the welfare of a dog, Lucas. 

The rescuers found a deceased American bulldog type directly behind the front door. 

He was emaciated with his head appearing sunken in and all of his ribs visible through his skin.

Dog faeces was smeared across the floors in the filthy and fly-filled flat, which was found to be the home of one of the offenders, Alex Talbot. 

Inspectors also a blanket soiled with bloody faeces.

A post mortem was carried out and found Lucas had experienced severe muscle wastage and serious atrophy of fat. 

There was no food inside his stomach - just plastic, plant material and hair. 

There were also multiple areas of ulceration found with bleeding. 

The vet who examined the post mortem report for Lucas said in their report: “Animals subjected to starvation will likely experience feelings of extreme hunger and weakness. 

"Feelings of hunger are associated with abdominal discomfort and nausea. Reported feelings associated with starvation in humans are weakness, dizziness, abdominal cramps, diarrhoea. 

“During the process of starvation the body is not able to function as it should and will start to fail. 

"As further stores of fat in the body, particularly in and around the organs are used up, organ failure will develop. This process results in loss of energy and ultimately in cardiac arrest and death. 

“In my professional opinion on a veterinary basis Lucas will have suffered unnecessarily as a result of starvation, experiencing pain and weakness as a result. This could have easily been avoided by providing an appropriate diet.”

Police arrested Nathan Gazeley, aged 35 and of Deykin Avenue, Birmingham. He was sentenced to 24-weeks custody and a 20 year ban from keeping animals. 

He was also ordered to pay £800 costs when he was sentenced on December 2 after pleading guilty to three animal welfare offences.

The court heard that Alex Talbot was sentenced for the same offences at an earlier hearing. 

Talbot, 26, was sentenced to a 20 year animal ban, 26-weeks custody, suspended for 12 months, a nine-month drug rehabilitation treatment, and 25 Rehabilitation Activity Requirement days.

RSPCA Inspector Ben Jones, who investigated for the animal welfare charity, said: “Lucas was simply left to starve alone in the empty property. 

"It’s heartbreaking to think about what he will have experienced in the final weeks of his life. 

"All animals deserve our kindness and respect and it’s saddening to know that this wasn’t shown to Lucas before his death.”