Man looking after stranger's dog left it living in faeces

Paul Grant, 34, of Laverick Field, Wyke, Bradford, and Carl West, 33, of Northcliffe Avenue, Thornton, pleaded guilty to failing in their responsibilty to ensure the welfare of an animal at Bradford and Keighley Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday.

West – who owned a female black-tan German Shepherd called Ace – was banned from keeping all animals for three years and the RSPCA will now look after his dog permanently.

He had handed the care of Ace to Grant – a man he had never met before this arrangement but recommended by West’s brother – giving him £100 and a bag of food for the dog outside a shop, as he was working away for a few weeks.

Louise Freeman, a solicitor acting on behalf of the RSPCA, said: “Grant looked after his dog while he was working away, met him outside a shop, having not met him before.”

Grant, who has been banned from keeping all animals for five years, kept Ace in premises on Laverick Field but was working away in Halifax at the time for a couple of months and staying on site.

He believed the arrangement was going to be for a couple of weeks but Ms Freeman said Ace was exposed to an unsuitable environment for between two to six weeks and was even left trapped in the house with no contact for more than 72 hours.

Grant stayed a couple of nights with Ace and walked her a couple of times but said not as much as he could have.

The 34-year-old said he became scared and frightened of Ace – a former security dog – as she “got more and more aggressive”.

The RSPCA was first called to the house on Laverick Field on December 28 last year to reports of an abandoned dog.

The premises in Laverick Field which was covered in white, fluffy, mouldy faeces (Image: RSPCA)

An Animal Welfare Officer visited and said there was a “strong smell of faeces” and could see a German Shepherd in lean condition but there was no reply when knocking.

A note was left for the person responsible to make contact with the RSPCA and a seal was placed on the property.

An officer returned two days later and noticed the seal was broken and the dog was still in the house, which was full of rubbish and cluttered.

The RSPCA visited the house around eight more times throughout January and into February, often finding seals had been broken and an empty house at times.

A trampoline was also put behind a gate on one day, which prevented access to the property.

Ace was left unattended for 24 hours at the start of February and there was furry, mouldy, white faeces everywhere, with no clear area inside and an overbearing smell, the court heard.

The dog came over to the letterbox but the officer was unable to assess the animal.

An officer visited on February 9 – when Ace had been left unattended for 72 hours and the assessment was Ace would suffer if its circumstances didn’t change.

A police officer visited and the dog was “on the worktop covered in excrement, it looked scared, didn’t bark and was cowering with its tail between its legs.”

The officer forced entry into the property and once opened the excrement smell was “overbearing” and said they were “some of the worse conditions she had seen in her career”, with not a square foot of clear floor.

No food could be seen available to the dog and there was water in a sink but it was not clean.

A sofa and cushions were soaked in urine (Image: RSPCA)

A sofa and cushion were soaked in urine and there was no comfortable, clean resting areas for Ace.

Ace was examined and found to be “bright, alert, response” and a “little underweight”.

Ms Freeman said: “The dog was exposed to odours which caused discomfort and one door showed signs of clawing and scratching which is often a sign of distress in a dog.”

West accepts his behaviour was unacceptable, accepts he did not check the premises and did not intend to cause suffering.

Grant probation report said he “felt bad”, thinks he "took too much on” and “didn’t understand the dog's needs” having never owned a pet.

The magistrate said: “I do think it’s very sad you can treat any animal in that way.

“I’m sure you wouldn’t want treating like that and left like that and left to suffer.”

West was handed a 12-month community order, where he must complete 80 hours of unpaid work, alongside his ban. 

Grant was given a 12-month community order with 100 hours of unpaid work and must also complete 15 Rehabilitation Activity Requirement days.

Both men were ordered to pay £495 to the court, including costs of £400 and a surcharge of £95 to fund victim services.