An unemployed Wolverhampton couple who left their dogs to starve in a filthy garden littered with droppings, rusty tools and an old carving knife have been banned from keeping animals for life.
District Judge Shamim Qureshi told Christopher Owen and Kayleigh Cuthbert that they had become the “torturers” of golden labrador Max and husky Molly.
Magistrates heard there were scratch marks on the couple’s back door where the dogs had tried to get inside.
Molly was so scared of the outdoors after being kept in the filthy garden that she had to be carried outside, Wolverhampton Magistrates Court was told.
The dogs lived in a dirty outdoor kennel which had wet bedding and they would carry the discarded rusty tools in their mouths, .
District Judge Qureshi sentenced the pair to four months in prison yesterday, suspended for two years, and ordered them to carry out 80 hours of unpaid work.
He was shocked to hear mother-of-one Cuthbert had completed a course in health and social care.
The dogs’ plight came to the attention of the RSPCA after an officer looked into the garden in Sharrocks Street, Horseley Fields, by chance on December 7.
Max weighed just 14kg, instead of the ideal 27kg.
The court heard Max’s bones were clearly visible, he had an infection of live ear mites, was at risk of hypothermia and had rubbed away the fur on his paws as a result of stress.
Mr Roger Price, prosecuting, said Molly was very possessive of food. No dog food was found in the house at all.
He said: “In their garden was a tree saw and that was clearly a hazard for the dogs. The ground was devoid of grass and contaminated with droppings. It was also littered with rubbish.”
Cuthbert, aged 20, and 27-year-old Owen admit failing to provide an animal with a sufficient diet, ensure veterinary attention, provide a suitable environment and protect an animal from pain, suffering and disease.
Mr Suresh Joshi, defending, said the pair had no previous convictions.
The cost of the case was £2,071 and both were order-ed to pay back £500 each as they are on benefits.
District Judge Qureshi said: “Emaciation is a form of torture.” Both dogs have now recovered and been rehoused.
22 Comments
these people turn my stomach, shame on them.
chavs!
Well we can see where the food went !!!
I can’t understand why people let it get this far ? They should realize themselves if they can’t afford, or look after a dog and hand it to the RSPCA or similar group. If they are truthfull then there would not be any action against them. If they don’t get a dog treated at least they could hand it in at the police station and say it was found as a stray. I know they should be more responsible, but the dog need suffer no more. I kept a small dog when I was unemployed, he ate a tin of dog and mixer biscuits a day plus scraps left from meals. He was actually overweight, so now it would only cost around £5 a week to feed a dog at most.
Reading this sort of story does make my blood boil, as they only have to say and someone would pay for the food or take the dog off them rather than see them suffer. I know of a couple who were also taken to court for starving a dog to death. They have had regular damage done to their house since. The vandalism cannot be condoned but the couple can only look at their actions to see why it is being carried out.
Send invites to their neighbours and have them birched in the Mander Centre on a Saturday morning.
Disgrace
At least the dogs have now been re-homed. These people should be ashamed of themselves, they are a disgrace.
Make them eat the contents of their garden.Then they may change their attitude.Also stop their benefits.These kind of people make me sick.
in my eyes those pair should be left to starve sick horrible prats
They should be treated the same as they treated their dogs and locked up why should the taxpayers have to pay their fines just because they are to idle to work make them get off their backsides and work to pay the fine theres plenty of public toilets to clean!!!
Wonder how much they get in benefits???
I strongly feel that for at least 3 months scum like these two ought to be made to live the life they made those poor animals live - then punish them…
lock them up through away the key
Vile scum.
The people where they live should throw rotten veg at these mangy scabs.
How can anyone treat an animal in that manner.
They scrounge off society but they dont look under fed!!
They should go in stocks in the centre of Wolves and be treated like they treated thier poor dogs!!
If there was real justice they would be starved to death also.
I hate this sort of scum. Look at them, complete chavs. They should be made to live in the same squalid conditions as the poor animals.
Wonder why they are unemployed, wonder if they bother trying???????
There is absolutely no excuse whatsoever for this, there are many shelters (one in particular I am linked with) who would have driven miles to rescue these dogs if the ‘owners’ had picked up a phone.
£500 payback towards Court Costs is a joke, isn’t it about time an amount was taken from these (sad excuses) for people’s benefits and donated to an animal charity? These dogs weren’t neglected because of poverty, they were neglected because these idiots just didn’t care a damn about them.
I am appalled at this story!!! How did they manage to pay for two pedigree dogs in the first place?? Yet they say they can not afford to feed them ??? This is cruelty at its worse!!!! As others have said yes sometimes people buy dogs and do not realise the responsibility of their upkeep but like others have said there are people that can help. The breeder would have taken the dogs back at any time and there are many local rescue schemes that would have assisted in re-homing!!!! Their answer, to leave them in back garden to rot!!!!!! DISGUSTING!!!!
EXACTLY THE TYPE OF BEHAVIOUR THAT GIVES WOLVERHAMPTON THE REPUTATION IT DESERVES
If they had starved two children, they would have been sent to HELL, why do the courts give out such lenient sentences just because it’s an animal - animals can feel, hurt and suffer just like us!
This type of animal cruelty will never stop until the law is changed.
http://www.maggieslaw.co.uk
They should be locked up, You just know they will re offend!
What scum!! locking them up is too good for them
animals look to humans to look after and protect them animals HAVE NO VOICE!!! SO PLEASE GO ON TO THE ABOVE WEB SITE
What a pity that these morons cannot have the dogs do the same to them, they deserve any retaliation they get, and I for one, hope they suffer BIG TIME, what goes round, comes round, I am a strong believer in POETIC JUSTICE, and I hope it goes on for quite a time, they should not get off too lightly.