Couple in court after keeping dogs in dirty home
Location:
Date:
A man and a woman have been disqualified from keeping animals for 15 years after an RSPCA investigation into the conditions they kept four dogs and four puppies.
Leo Robert Chandler (DoB: 16/08/2003) and Chloe Samantha Claire Dyke (DoB: 26/08/2002), both of St Thomas Road, Erdington, Birmingham, appeared at Birmingham Magistrates' Court on 17 July.
The couple was sentenced after admitting three Animal Welfare Act offences. Sentencing the pair, magistrates said the case was 'shocking' and that the animals had been in 'appalling' conditions.
Chandler was disqualified from keeping all animals for 15 years and was given a 12-month community order including 25 rehabilitation activity requirement days and 200 hours of unpaid work.
Dyke was disqualified from keeping all animals for 15 years and was given a 12-month community order including 25 rehabilitation activity requirement days and a £100 fine.
They were also ordered to pay £350 in costs and a £114 victim surcharge each.
The RSPCA launched an investigation after a collie called Jasper was taken to vets with serious injuries on 7 January, having been attacked by another dog. Vets raised concerns with the RSPCA due to Jasper's condition, matted fur and large flea burden, and he was seized and placed into RSPCA care.
RSPCA Animal Rescue Officers (ARO) Tracy Myles and Sarah Guest went to Jasper's owners' home and took three adult dogs and four 10-week-old puppies into their care due to concerns about the environment they were living in, as well as the dogs' weight, untreated flea and skin conditions.
Cane Corso cross Berserker was 'kept in the kitchen with the door tied shut with a lead that was then tied around a radiator'. He was underweight, filthy and suffering some fur loss. ARO Myles described the floor as 'covered with faeces and urine'.
Bullbreed Missy - mum to the four puppies - also presented as underweight and with fur loss, while a one-year-old bullbreed dog, Willow, was found locked in the bathroom.
ARO Myles said in her statement, "The door handle was tied to the bannister". The puppies were being kept in a bedroom. ARO Guest added: "The room had a lot of clutter covering the floor as well as piles of faeces. There was no food or water present in the room but there were multiple empty dog food cans scattered around."
She said two of the puppies 'drank frantically until the bowl was empty' when officers gave them water.
In mitigation, the court heard Dyke suffered with her mental health and magistrates were told that both were sorry for what had happened, agreeing that the conditions were unacceptable.
After sentencing, RSPCA Inspector Ben Jones said, "The conditions of these dogs and their living environment were wholly unacceptable, whilst Jasper's injuries were particularly distressing. I hope this case and the disqualification order imposed upon the defendants remind owners of their legal responsibility to meet the needs of their animals"
The dogs were all signed over into the RSPCA's care and sent to rehoming centres where they could recover and be prepared for new homes.
Contact media and press
If you’re a journalist looking for interviews, quotes or images, get in touch with our media team. Or, if you’re after some quick facts and figures, we have you covered.
