Woman allowed pet dog to starve so badly it had to be put down
Chesterfield magistrates’ court heard on Wednesday, September 27, how Jennifer Teresa Wilson, 43, of St Augustine’s Avenue, Chesterfield, had been looking after a dog called Panda until her daughter’s boyfriend Troy Keeling visited and realised the dog had become seriously-ill.
Prosecuting solicitor Andy Cash, who represented the RSPCA, said: “Troy came home to say the dog Panda was in distress at the defendant’s address.
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Hide Ad“His mother Michelle Shipman told Troy to fetch the dog which he did. He carried the dog back to her address and the dog was in a state of extreme distress.
“He put Panda on the floor of the living room and they made a bed for him. He was lying on his right side and there was no life in him and he looked like he was at death’s door.”
The dog was so emaciated, according to Mr Cash, that you could see his cheek bones and ribs and Ms Shipman tried to feed Panda with a syringe because he could not get to a bowl and he was given scrambled eggs and milk.
Mr Cash added that the dog was passing brown liquid and smelled and needed to be cleaned up with Baby Wipes.
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Hide AdHe said: “The dog was clearly in extreme distress and gave a cry of pain.”
The court heard that a vet felt the kindest thing to do was to put Panda down.
Mr Cash said Ms Shipman visited the defendant and asked why Panda was in such a state and Wilson told her she did not know and that Panda had been running around with her other dogs just days before and she claimed she had done nothing wrong.
A post mortem confirmed the dog had an extremely poor body condition indicating neglect and that starvation was the most likely cause of death.
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Hide AdDuring an interview with the RSPCA, Wilson accepted responsibility for Panda but said she would like to think he had not suffered and that he looked the same as always to her and she had not noticed his condition.
Wilson pleaded guilty to failing to meet the needs of a dog’s weight loss between April 2 and April 30.
Defence solicitor Ben Strelley said Wilson has a dog called Mitsy and she also had three others dogs including Panda which had been left with her by her daughter after she had been evicted from her accommodation.
He added that when Panda was found poorly the other dogs were healthy.
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Hide AdMr Strelley said Wilson claimed she had put food down for all the dogs but regrets that she had not noticed Panda had become unwell.
He added that Wilson who suffers with severe depression and has had issues with drugs and alcohol has been left very upset and very remorseful.
Magistrates sentenced Wilson to 12 weeks of custody suspended for 12 months with a Rehabilitation Activity Requirement.
She was also banned from keeping animals for five years and will subsequently be deprived from keeping her pet Mitsy.
Wilson must also pay a £115 victim surcharge.