A dog that was starved to death was described as one of the "saddest sights ever seen" by the RSPCA officer who found her body.
Married couple Leanne and Jonathan Brookshaw owned the bulldog, named Coco, who was found dead at an empty flat by a police officer. The RSPCA was called to the flat at Dorset Gardens, Birkenhead, and found the property covered in faeces and flies, along with the decomposing body of the 4.6kg puppy.
Liverpool Magistrates Court heard on Tuesday that the newly married couple moved out of Dorset Gardens to their current property in Bebington Road, Birkenhead, last year, but did not bring the eight month old puppy as they claimed it would be attacked by their other dog, Molly. Leanne Brookshaw said she had visited Dorset Gardens since moving, and saw water and biscuits but agreed the “place was a s***hole”.
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A court heard that the mum of three said she thought her brother was caring for Coco, but agreed last time she checked on the animal, she was skinnier and had lost weight. She described the animal as having access to water but no food, and acting lethargic and weaker than usual.
RSPCA Inspector Joynes, who found the animal, said: “I saw a large area of dried brown liquid directly behind Coco that had patterns and paw/claw marks that suggested to me that she had been collapsed in this area, alive, for a period of time and had been moving around or attempting to get up.
“I noted that she was wearing a collar with a tag containing the name ‘Coco’ engraved onto one side. The collar was far too big, providing some indication of how big the dog may have been at some point before losing body condition, as people generally don't put collars on their dogs that are far too big and can just slip off.”
The RSPCA also confirmed that Coco had been suffering from hunger and starvation for a period of several months prior to her death. The vet said: “She will also have experienced periods of time where she had no access to water and will have suffered from dehydration; however she was obviously able to obtain enough water to survive based on the infrequent visits” he said.
“The environment in which Coco was housed was totally inadequate for her as it was not clean and sanitary, nor did it provide her with a clean, dry, comfortable and safe place to rest as required by the Code of Practice for the Welfare of Dogs. Of more concern than the poor environment is the complete lack of socialisation and companionship provided to Coco who, from the accounts given at interview, was spending up to a week at a time with no interaction or social activity at all.
“It is my expert opinion that Coco was caused to suffer from hunger, weakness and lethargy over a prolonged period of time as a result of the intermittent starvation and dehydration that she was enduring from the failure to provide her with an adequate and sufficient diet on a daily basis.” Speaking after the case, inspector Joynes said: “It's hard to prepare yourself to walk in and deal with an incident where a dog has been starved to death.
“You know you can't do anything to help at that stage, and all you can do is remain professional and investigate the case to ensure that the animal’s suffering does not go unanswered. “It remains one of the saddest sights I've ever seen in 14 years, Coco just lying there dead, emaciated and alone surrounded by children's toys and bits of rubbish, having been completely let down by the people she relied upon.”
Leanne Brookshaw and Jonathan Brookshaw were sentenced to 18 weeks imprisonment each, suspended for 12 months. They were ordered to complete 100 hours of unpaid work each, and rehabilitation activity days. Both were told to pay £500 in prosecution costs, plus a victim surcharge of £128, and were disqualified from owning an animal for five years.
Moore was charged and pleaded guilty to the same charges, but will not be sentenced until March at Wirral Magistrates Court.
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