Five-year ban for couple who let dog drink bleach (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Five-year ban for couple who let dog drink bleach

8:00am Wednesday 25th November 2009

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A couple allowed their dog to drink bleach causing half its tongue to rot and drop off, a court heard.

The boxer, named Bella, had lost almost half her body weight when she was taken into RSPCA care in April, Bradford magistrates were told yesterday.

Ian Howard, 32, of Bartle Lane, Great Horton, and Samantha Briggs, 29, of Lymington Drive, Holme Wood, both pleaded guilty to failing to provide Bella with an adequate diet and address the cause of her weight loss between January 14 and April 14 this year.

They were banned from keeping animals for five years and given a three-year conditional discharge.

In addition, Howard was ordered to pay £650 towards costs, and Briggs £250.

Magistrates were told the RSPCA was alerted to the dog’s plight after Briggs took her to see a veterinary nurse, believing her to be suffering from worms.

She weighed only 10.4 kilograms and was described by the nurse in a statement as being “totally emaciated” with blood dripping from her mouth.

In statements read out in court both Howard and Briggs said they thought Bella was depressed and admitted she had drunk out of a mop bucket containing diluted bleach throughout the two years she was in their care.

Nigel Monaghan, prosecuting for the RSPCA, said: “This boxer dog had been drinking from the mop bucket for as long as they had the dog.

“That resulted in the dog’s tongue rotting and as a result the dog has lost half its tongue.”

Bella, who has been re-homed, gained weight rapidly after being taken into RSPCA care but the bleach has caused long term damage to her kidneys, which is likely to affect her life expectancy, the court was told.

The couple also pleaded guilty to failing to obtain veterinary attention for a five-year-old Staffordshire bull terrier named Max, suffering from conjunctivitis in both eyes.

Mitigating for both defendants, Tariq Hussain, said the bleach was needed to clean up quickly after Max, who often soiled inside the house, posing a risk to Briggs’ children.

He said the couple had gone through a time of considerable stress while Bella lost weight, adding, “yes there’s a period when they could have noticed it but they had other problems in their lives which were massive”.

Bench chairman Phillip Brown said: “All animal keepers are in a position of trust. You have abused that trust.”

He added, however, that their guilty pleas, the fact they took Bella to a vet and their personal circumstances had been taken into account.

After the hearing, RSPCA Inspector Carol Neale said: “We are pleased to have got the disqualification.

“The dogs have made a good recovery but Bella’s life has been shortened because of the bleach.

“She now lives in a lovely home and we hope one can also be found for Max.”

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