Shocking pictures show state of Tipton home in which dogs, including a pregnant mother and puppies were kept.
A Tipton woman who left five dogs in such squalor and neglect that one died and another left with an undiagnosed heart problem became severely underweight has been handed a 10-year ban from keeping animals.
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Kelly Marie Jones. from Tipton, pleaded guilty to four offences under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 at Wolverhampton Crown Court on October 3 and also received a 12-month jail sentence, which was suspended for 18 months.
The RSPCA prosecuted Jones after a bull terrier called Roxy was found in a filthy kennel and another bull breed dog called Rocky was found dead in the defendant’s kitchen at her property in Laburnum Road, Tipton
The animal charity visited Jones’ home in June last year after the RSPCA’s cruelty line took calls saying a dog there appeared to be struggling to give birth.
The defendant refused to sign the dog over to the RSPCA, but the attending inspector gave her advice on feeding a pregnant dog and to seek out help from a vet.
In December last year RSPCA Animal Rescue Officer (ARO) Ash Moore was granted access to the defendant’s home by a relative who was concerned about the welfare of the dogs.
The officer found Roxy living in appalling conditions in the back garden inside a kennel, which was heavily littered with faeces. She was very underweight and she had no access to food and water.
When the officer and two others entered the property through the back door he found Rocky’s body, while other dogs, including her three underweight puppies, were discovered elsewhere on the premises as well as an elderly Akita cross dog.
They also discovered three underweight terrier puppies locked in a crate in an upstairs bedroom where they had been left without food and water and covered in their own excrement.
All the dogs were seized and taken into the care of the RSPCA.
A vet who examined them found that Roxy was suffering from anaemia and tests flagged up a heart problem.
The deceased dog, Rocky, was very underweight and had been suffering with a stomach ulcer, with evidence that it had bled.
Roxy, who weighed only 13kg when she was rescued, was returned to an ideal body condition in the care of the RSPCA and within two months she was up to a healthy weight of 20.15kg.
Sadly, the third adult dog’s age-related health issues meant a vet later decided the kindest course of action was to put him to sleep.
In mitigation, the court heard that the defendant claimed that only the Akita cross was her dog and that a stranger dropped off the other dogs at her home. It was said she was struggling with drug and alcohol problems and claimed she didn’t have the funds to feed all the dogs.
Jones was also told to complete 30 Rehabilitation Activity (RAR) Days as part of her suspended sentence order and undergo a six-month alcohol treatment programme. She also has to pay a £300 contribution to court costs.
