(Image: RSPCA)
A West Yorkshire man has been banned for life from keeping animals after his starving dog was found locked in a cellar.
Ryan Miller, of Howard Way, Meltham, Huddersfield, pleaded guilty to two animal welfare offences prosecuted by the RSPCA at a hearing at Kirklees Magistrates’ Court on October 9.
The court heard how American Bulldog Mabel was found severely underweight at a property in Greenfield Road, Holmfirth, on January 25, 2026.
Here's where she was left.
Her owner had moved out between seven and ten days earlier. The landlord discovered Mabel in the basement and took her to a vet. He then contacted the RSPCA.
Miller, aged 44, was traced through Mabel’s microchip. The chip still recorded a previous owner, who provided investigators with Miller’s details.
The court heard how RSPCA inspector Vanessa Reid visited the property as part of her investigation. She also examined the basement where Mabel had been left.
A singular cushion was her only source of comfort.
Mabel had been locked inside - with no way out
Inspector Vanessa Reid said: “As soon as the door was opened, there was a strong smell of ammonia, despite the kitchen area having been cleared and cleaning products on the floor. I was shown down to a freezing cold basement consisting of two rooms with a wooden door and latch.”
The landlord told Inspector Reid that Mabel had been locked in the room “with no way out”.
He did not know she was there until he opened the door and found her emaciated.
You can see just how emaciated she was.
WATCH: Inside the cellar
Inspector Reid added: “The entire basement area was stone, both walls and floor, and despite it being three degrees Celsius outside, it felt colder inside.”
“It was also very damp and generally unpleasant.”
“There was a huge catering-sized pan on the floor, which I assumed had contained water at some point, although this was now bone dry. There was also an upturned ceramic dog bowl next to it, empty.”
The only “small amount of relief from the stone-cold flags” was a sofa cushion on the floor.
What a dreadful case.
Inspector Vanessa Reid said: “There was faeces and urine on the floor, and the landlord confirmed the lights had not been on when he attended, so Mabel must have been living in pitch black at all times.”
A full view of the basement where she was abandoned. (Image: RSPCA)
She weighed just 11kg
Mabel weighed 11kg when a vet examined her. She was emaciated and dehydrated and needed intravenous fluids.
A feeding plan was started. However, when she was taken outside, she tried to eat leaves and rubbish. Cream was applied to sores on her pelvic bones.
Poor Mabel.
What the vet said
The vet said starvation had probably caused Mabel’s emaciated condition.
The vet added that the owner had "unnecessarily allowed Mabel to suffer slowly to the point of emaciation".
“This suffering could have been alleviated through providing an appropriate diet and seeking veterinary advice or considering relinquishing Mabel.”
The expert suspected the failings had lasted at least three weeks.
“The duration of these failings will be a minimum of three weeks looking at the evidence presented. Miller has failed to comply with the minimum standards of care expected by failing to provide Mabel with an appropriate environment, with food, water, companionship and veterinary care.”
His representative claimed he was an animal lover
Miller’s representative told the court he was an animal lover who had cared for Mabel to an “exceptional” standard before the incident.
The court was told that people to whom Miller owed a significant debt had threatened him and ordered him not to return to the property.
Magistrates said: “We have heard and seen compelling evidence of significant animal cruelty. The prosecution evidence demonstrates profound suffering on the part of the animal, and the extent of that suffering is unequivocal.”
Handed 38-week suspended jail sentence
Miller was handed a 38-week jail term, suspended for one year.
He must complete 200 hours of unpaid work, pay £400 in costs and hand over an £187 victim surcharge.
He has received a life-long ban on keeping animals.
Here's the good news
Mabel made a full recovery in the care of RSPCA Doncaster and Rotherham Branch and has since been rehomed.
Mabel made a full recovery in the care of the RSPCA Doncaster and Rotherham Branch.
She has since found a new home.