Dogs abandoned in garage in 'worst animal welfare case' judge has seen

A Derby couple who abandoned their dogs in a garage - leading to the death of one - have been banned from keeping animals for life after being prosecuted by the RSPCA.

Tommy Johnson (DOB 25/8/93) and Sophie Baker (26/3/99), both of Grosvenor Street, in Allenton, Derby, were sentenced at Derbyshire Magistrates' Court on Monday (23 September) after pleading guilty to two animal welfare act offences each at earlier hearings.

The court heard that Johnson and Baker had previously lived at an address in Thackeray Street, Sinfin, but moved out to a family member's home - leaving two dogs, bull breeds Buster and Layla, behind in their garage.

Initially, Johnson visited the dogs daily to feed them - but this dropped to every few days. A member of the public reported the sighting of a dead dog found in the garage to the RSPCA. When the RSPCA attended, on 27 January this year, the emaciated body of Buster was found in the garage filled with faeces and Layla refused to leave his side.

In a statement presented to the court, RSPCA Inspector Louise Marston said: "Layla looked incredibly sad and it was clear that she was very attached to Buster. In my 12-year career, I've never seen a dog act like this and it was painful to witness, especially given the environmental conditions and the physical conditions of both dogs."

Describing the conditions inside the garage, Inspector Marston stated: "I could see that the ground was littered with rubbish which was filthy and covered with dog faeces. There were dog faeces everywhere - covering rubbish and offcuts of material/blankets, smeared around empty food bowls and a white bucket and smeared all over a leather sofa and electrical white goods.

"In the far right corner was a large accumulation of faeces and empty sacks of dog food. On the far side was a broken glass window and a wooden door laid on its side, leading out to the rear garden. I couldn't step anywhere where there wasn't dog faeces."

Layla and the body of Buster were taken by Inspector Marston to the RSPCA's Birmingham Animal Hospital to be examined. In her statement: "Layla was found to be very underweight. She was dehydrated and extremely thirsty; a veterinary nurse put some fresh water in a bowl and at the sound of the water running, Layla went to the sink with her ears pricked. She drank continuously for approximately 40 seconds, to the point where we had to remove the bowl from her before it made her sick."

An examination of Buster's body found he may have suffered from a kidney disease which can cause symptoms such as increased thirst and urination, poor appetite, vomiting or diarrhoea and weight loss.

In an interview with Inspector Marston, Johnson said the dogs had lived in the house until 30 December, when Johnson and Baker moved out and Layla and Buster were moved into the garage. When asked why they didn't take the dogs with them, he said they didn't have an "adequate" place to put them.

When asked when he was last at the address before 27 January, he said: "I can't be certain, a couple of days, the last couple of visits were at night time."

Asked if Buster had been alive on his last visit, he said: "I can't be certain. I'd leave the food out and do a quick inspection."

The court heard that when Sophie Baker was interviewed, she told Inspector Marston that "it was Tommy's job to go down and sort them out – feed them, water them, take them out" - and that no one else had helped with attending to the dogs.

When asked how often Tommy tended to the dogs, she said "To start with, it was every day and then it was maybe 3, 4, 5 days they were left."

She added that she was "worried about them being left for that length of time".

Both Johnson and Baker pleaded guilty to two offences each, of causing unnecessary suffering to Buster and Layla.

As well as a lifetime ban on keeping animals, which they can appeal after five years, Johnson was given a 20-week prison sentence suspended for 12 months and Baker was given a 12-month community order. They were both ordered to pay costs of £200 each.

Layla has since made a full recovery and has been rehomed.

In his sentencing remarks, the District Judge said this was "one of the worst animal welfare cases" in his career as a judge, adding: "The facts and the photographic evidence are disgraceful and stomach churning. Each of these dogs suffered, they were in agony, starving and neglected. They had been abandoned."

In mitigation, the court heard that they suffered from poor mental health and had experienced a family bereavement.