Life ban for woman who claimed ill dog was buried in back garden

Claire Beaumont's Lhasa Apso Beau suffered from skin conditions and was eventually put down when a tumour was discovered.

RSPCA inspectors made numerous visits to Beaumont’s home, on Hunter Hill Road in Halifax, between April and October last year when they advised her to take the dog to the vets.

The defendant claimed she had gone to PDSA in Bradford, but the charity could find no evidence to back up her claims.

Lhasa Apso Beau (Image: Social media)

RSPCA inspector Natalie Taylor said in her witness statement that when she visited Beaumont’s home on April 29, 2021, the defendant claimed Beau “had died two weeks ago and that he was buried in the back garden”.

But in a telephone conversation with the inspector later that day she said he was still alive.

12 days later, RSPCA inspector Kris Walker visited Beaumont, 47, and told her to clean up the yard which was full of faeces.

Beau was treated with anti-parasites, eye drops, antibiotics and anti-inflammatories (Image: Social media)

On a further visit on October 28, Beaumont agreed to let him go to a vets with inspector Walker, who reported in his witness statement: “Beau was matted and he had fleas, conjunctivitis and appeared to have a mouth issue. He was licking and biting himself continuously and his skin was hot to the touch.”

A vet who examined the dog said: “The front of Beau’s chest was completely alopecic. He had numerous patches of alopecia over his dorsum and the majority of his skin across his trunk and limbs was reddened and inflamed.”

He concluded the dog would have been suffering for “at least some days and weeks” before he examined him.

In mitigation, Beaumont said she was remorseful and that at the time she “had had a lot going on”.

Most of his skin across his trunk and limbs was red and inflamed (Image: Social media)

Beaumont will have to complete 150 hours of unpaid work and undertake 10 rehabilitation activity days as part of a 12-month community order.

She was also told to pay a victim surcharge of £95 and court costs of £600 when she appeared at Kirklees Magistrates’ Court on August 23.

After the hearing, Inspector Walker said: “We gave the defendant advice and she had multiple chances to take her dog to see a vet. She wasn’t frank with us and claimed she had done this when she hadn’t.

“In the meantime, Beau was left in a dreadful state, matted and suffering from sore skin, alopecia and eye issues.

“He was signed over into our care, but sadly a tumour was found in his jawbone and the kindest course of action was to put him to sleep to end his suffering.”