A County Durham couple have been banned from keeping animals for a decade and told to pay almost £1,000 after being convicted of neglecting a staggering six.
Charity the RSPCA brought the prosecution against Neil and Elaine Hamilton, of Front Street, Pity Me. The couple, 57 and 41 respectively, admitted five offences under the Animal Welfare Act in relation to the care of Ozzy, Oscar, Megan, Beau, Lexi and Bella in January, and were sentenced at Newton Aycliffe Magistrates' Court on February 22.
RSPCA inspector Lucy Green found all the dogs in a neglected state in October last year. According to her witness statement, she found three of the dogs - Beau, Bella and Megan - in a "suffering state", with the other three likely to "be caused to suffer if their circumstances did not change".
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One of the dogs, Beau was suffering from a gastrointestinal disease as he had diarrhoea and weighed almost half what he should have. The vet gave him a body condition score of one out of nine. Bella was suffering from a fever, while Megan had overgrown nails and a severe dental disease and malnutrition.
Another of the pets, Ozzy, had suffered a leg fracture when hit by a car - only for owner Elaine to take him to a cat-only clinic and then fail to seek further treatment. The RSPCA team said not one of the six dogs had adequate nutrition, fresh clean drinking water and veterinary treatment as required.
In mitigation, the court heard how the couple had a lack of money.
Both Neil and Elaine Hamilton have been banned from keeping animals for a decade and fined. Neil was fined £300, and must pay £75 costs and a £120 victim surcharge. Elaine was fined £125 and told to pay £175 costs and £48 victim surcharge.
The RSPCA will soon be looking to rehome the pets from its Felledge Animal Centre.
Following the sentencing hearing, Inspector Green said: "All of Mr and Mrs Hamilton's dogs were underweight ranging from lean to, as stated by the vet, emaciation. Reasonable owners should have noticed this and taken the dogs to a vet to address the issues.
"Our plea to all animal owners is to make sure they always receive care and treatment from veterinary experts when they need it. If people are struggling to cover the costs, there are a number of charities which provide help for veterinary care for pet owners in genuine financial difficulties. People can also work with their vet to spread the cost of treatment."
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