Animal ban for Bolton dog owner who admitted neglecting six huskies
14.02.25
A woman from Bolton has been disqualified from keeping animals for five years after admitting animal welfare offences relating to six husky dogs.
Sandham failed to meet the needs of six Husky dogs - Torvi, Ivor, Floki, Loki, Freya and Astrid - who were in her care. She didn't provide them with an adequate diet or a suitable living environment and failed to take action to address their poor body condition. She also failed to seek out appropriate vet care for a wound to Loki's right hind limb.
She was disqualified from owning all animals for five years, which she cannot appeal, and was given an 18-month community order, including 20 Rehabilitation Activity Requirement days. She must also pay an £80 fine and a victim surcharge of £32.
The court heard that RSPCA Animal Rescue Officer (ARO) Jessica Pierce first attended the property in Partridge Road on 6 January 2024, after the charity had been contacted with concerns for a number of huskies.
Ahead of her visit, she had been sent footage of the dogs by a member of the public which she showed to an RSPCA vet, who had serious concerns for their welfare, so ARO Pierce requested the presence of Greater Manchester Police when she visited the property.
ARO Pierce said in her witness statement: "Stacey Sandham allowed me inside and showed me into the kitchen. There was a dog crate as I first walked in with a fluffy young dog with some plain spaghetti on the base of the crate, there was no water inside the crate or any soft bedding. There was an adult husky dog loose in the kitchen which immediately appeared underweight - I could still see the outline of the ribs/hips and spine even through this coat."
She continued: "There was mud and dirt all over the floor with dirty paw prints on the floor, walls and doors. There was a plastic bowl on top of the dog crate with watery spaghetti in it and next to this a large bag of dry biscuits with a small amount of biscuits left in the bag.
"I asked how many dogs she had and she stated she had six dogs in the house but they didn't all belong to her. In the corner of the kitchen were several bin bags stacked up and these had a strong smell of rotting rubbish."
ARO Pierce said other dogs "appeared very underweight" and could "very clearly feel every spine nodule and the hips/ribs."
Greater Manchester Police took the six dogs into their possession, before placing them into the care of the RSPCA. ARO Pierce then transported the dogs to RSPCA Greater Manchester Animal Hospital for a veterinary examination.
The vet who examined the dogs said in their witness statement that in their opinion the "six dogs were suffering due to their poor body condition."
The vet added: "In my opinion, a reasonable owner should not let their animals become so thin as to score so low on body condition assessment as to be one out of nine. This indicates that the dogs were likely using their body reserves of fat and muscle to provide energy. A reasonable owner should provide enough food of suitable quality to keep their animals in normal body condition. If an animal becomes underweight for an unknown reason, a reasonable owner should be able to tell, and veterinary attention should be sought to investigate for medical problems."
Thankfully, the dogs were cared for at an RSPCA boarding kennel and made a good recovery under the care of the RSPCA, including Loki who was rehomed to a loving new home and renamed Scooby.
After sentencing, RSPCA inspector Ryan King, who investigated the case, said: "These six dogs were living in completely unsuitable conditions. It's so important that people don't take on animals that they're not able to care for properly. I'm glad we were able to intervene and ensure that Torvi, Ivor, Floki, Loki, Freya, and Astrid now have a much better future ahead of them."
