CONVICTED (2024) | Nicola Owens, born 11 November 1990, of 17 Colton Walk, Childwall, Liverpool L25 1NA – starved her two pet dogs to death. Mother-of-one Owens was prosecuted by the RSPCA after the animal charity found an elderly male Staffie called Baxter and a young female French bulldog called Sparkles dead at her property. Owens pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to the dogs by failing to provide adequate nutrition for their needs between 30 September and 18 November 2023. The court heard how Owens called the RSPCA’s National Control Centre on 18 November 2023 saying she’d found the bodies of the dogs in the kitchen after she returned home from the school run and wanted help to remove them. RSPCA Inspector Joanne McDonald, who went to the defendant’s property, said in a statement to the court that members of the public had been concerned that Owens was leaving her dogs unsupervised for days. The inspector said, “The house was in complete darkness and I didn’t think it would be possible for someone to have been living at the address without any electricity. The defendant led me into the kitchen where both dogs’ bodies were. “Baxter had been placed on top of Sparkles and a towel had been placed over them both. The floor was wet and I could see faeces trampled into the floor. The kitchen smelt strongly of ammonia and it looked like the dogs had been frequently urinating. “There were a few bowls down on the floor but no food and I could see and feel that both dogs were very thin with both of their ribs, hips and hindquarters easily visible.” Owens told the inspector she’d had no concerns about Sparkles, but said Baxter had previously been “walking funny”. Both the dogs, she said, were dead when she returned to her house. A vet’s report said Baxter weighed only 9.7kg (21.4lb) and scored one out of nine on a body condition score, where five is an ideal rating. There was plastic in his stomach which suggested he ingested because he was so hungry. Sparkles also scored one out of nine on the body condition score and weighed just 4.4kg (9.7lb). A post-mortem for Baxter showed he had died from starvation and ingestion of foreign materials which had caused stomach ulcers, with Cushing’s disease, a hormone condition, possibly a contributory factor. Sparkles’ post-mortem concluded she died as a result of starvation, with the vet saying that both dogs were starved for at least several days. Speaking after the sentencing, Inspector McDonald said, “These poor dogs were left unattended for such a time at this property without food that they ultimately starved to death. “The defendant made no provision for any food to be left for her dogs while she was away or for anyone to check up on them.” Sentencing | 12-month community order with 20 days of ‘rehabilitation’; fined £80 and told to pay a victim surcharge of £114. Banned from keeping animals for 10 years (expires November 2034). Liverpool Echo