CONVICTED (2017) | John Meiklejohn Mooney, born 8 January 1980, of Balfour Wynd, Larkhall ML9 2LT – mistreated a dog who had to be put to sleep John Mooney When rescued the Dalmatian, known as Marley, was severely underweight with his skeleton prominent through his skin. He also had pressure sores on his limbs and went on to develop severe behavioural issues because of his treatment by his previous owner, John Mooney. Very sadly the Scottish SPCA had no choice but to put him to sleep as he wasn’t safe to rehome. Malnourished Dalmatian Marley was skin and bone. Although he put on weight in the care of the SSPCA he had to be euthanised after becoming aggressive. In court, Mooney pleaded guilty to causing the dog unnecessary suffering by failing to provide him with a suitable nutritional diet between September 21 and October 21, 2016. Despite the cruelty involved, Mooney was only given a two-year ban on keeping animals. This expired in 2019. Speaking about the case SSPCA Inspector Heather Lawson said: “Marley was severely underweight with his hip bones and ribs easily visible. A dog of this type, sex and age should weigh in the region of 25-35kgs, whereas Marley weighed only 17.6kgs. “Marley also had pressure sores on his front feet and left hind leg and cowered away when approached too quickly. Sadly, as Marley started putting on weight, other problems developed. He was showing increasingly aggressive tendencies, to the point that he was no longer able to be handled by trained staff members. “The difficult decision was made by a vet to put him to sleep as Marley would have been a serious risk to members of the public in a home environment.” Inspector Lawson added: “Whilst we are pleased that Mooney has been dealt with by the courts, we currently feel sentencing for animal abuse is very inconsistent in Scotland and we would like to see an increase in the maximum jail sentence which would provide the sheriff with a greater range of options. “We hope Mooney will give serious consideration to his ability to care for animals in the future.” Sentencing: 150-hour community payback order. Two-year ban from keeping, owning or being in charge of any animals (expired 2019). Daily Record Glasgow Times