(Image: Newsquest)
SCRATCH marks were found on the door of a cellar where a starving dog suffered for at least 10 days before dying of starvation.
The body of a Spaniel called Biscuit was found emaciated and surrounded by household rubbish in the cellar of a property on Southfield Lane, Little Horton, Bradford, on November 26.
Last Friday, the dog’s owner, Paul Wright, appeared at Bradford Magistrates Court, where he pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to an animal.
He avoided prison, but was banned from keeping animals for life.
The case was brought by the RSPCA, and Louise Freeman, prosecuting, told the court details of Biscuit’s grim final days in the dark and dirty cellar.
Mrs Freeman said Wright, 37, of Hawkshead Drive, close to Manchester Road, Little Horton, had been involved in “prolonged negligence culminating in Biscuit’s death in an emaciated state.”
She said the cause of death was determined to have been starvation, and the court was told that “Biscuit’s suffering would have lasted for at least 10 days” before her death.
Mrs Freeman said: “But it was potentially considerably longer. The deterioration would have been obvious, but no veterinary assistance was sought.”
The court was told that Biscuits final days were spent in “a dark cellar – packed with rubbish and household clutter.”
Mrs Freeman told the court: “There was faeces on the floor and no identifiable bedding. There was no visible food or water.
“The body was found laying under a plastic chair.
“There were scratch marks on the rear of the cellar door. It all demonstrated an appalling environment, and the body was in a shocking condition.
“A vet gave her a body score condition of 0.5 out of 5. There was no muscle mass. There was an untreated parasitic infection.”
Biscuit’s body weighed just 7kg – Magistrates were told the healthy body weight for a dog that size would be 15kg.
When Wright was interviewed, he acknowledged he should have sought veterinary help, but told officers Biscuit hadn’t seen a vet “for years.”
Wright was unrepresented in court.
When asked if he had anything he wanted to tell the court about the offence, he told Magistrates he did not.
Magistrates handed Wright a six-month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months.
He was ordered to carry out six RAR (Rehabilitation Activity Requirement) days, and 150 hours of unpaid work.
He was given a lifetime ban on keeping animals, or being involved in the care of animals.
Wright is not able to appeal this ban for at least 10 years.
He was also ordered to pay £400 costs and a £154 surcharge.