NEGLECTFUL OWNER ORDERED TO PAY MORE THAN £6K AFTER HE REFUSED TO TAKE INJURED DOGS TO THE VET
A man from Ceredigion has been given an 18-week jail sentence, suspended for two years, after failing to provide veterinary treatment for his dogs.One of the animals had been in chronic pain for at least two weeks.
Rhys Ebenezer, 27, from Llangeitho, Tregaron, appeared before Llanelli Magistrates' Court on May 21, where he was handed the sentence.
He was also prohibited from owning animals for ten years and ordered to pay £6,410.92 in costs plus a £154 victim surcharge.
He admitted to four offences under the Animal Welfare Act, relating to inflicting unnecessary suffering and neglecting the welfare of three dogs.
He was further subject to a six-month curfew, required to complete 15 rehabilitation activity days, and was prevented from traveling abroad for 12 months.
On September 29 last year, RSPCA officers responded to a property in Llangeitho following complaints about injured dogs kept in kennels there.
Officers Holly Brown and Darryl Thomas, upon arrival, raised immediate concerns about two of the dogs, Charlie, aged four, and Twig, aged two.
Both are Patterdale terriers and were kept in kennels on the premises.
Animal Rescue Officer Holly Brown said in her witness statement: "Twig was curled up in her bed and appeared very lethargic and subdued.
"I observed a large blue bandage on her front right leg.
[I was] informed that Twig had been involved in the fight with the other dog 'Champ' who was at the vets with Rhys Ebenezer and that they had injured each other fighting through the bars of the kennels." She continued: "Charlie appeared bright, alert and active.
He appeared in underweight body condition of 3/9.
His ribs were easily visible and his waist was very 'sucked in'.
"I observed that Charlie was covered all over his body in scars and healing wounds in different stages of healing.
Some appeared much more recent and others appeared healed...
I was concerned by a wound on the inside of his front left leg and the inside of his back left leg." A vet who examined Charlie estimated the wounds on his legs to be of varying ages, some a fortnight old and others approximately a week old, concluding they were 'inconsistent' with ratting.
The man told officers the scarring was the result of ratting.
He also informed them that Champ, the dog he had taken to the vet, had been put down and buried on his property.
Animal Rescue Officer Darryl Thomas stated that Ebenezer led them to a 'remote field on the top of a mountain' where he used an excavator to exhume Champ's remains.
In his witness statement, officer Thomas added: "Using torches, the officers examined the deceased dog and I could see that this dog had what I would describe as a de-gloving injury to both sides of its lower jaw, and a chunk of its nose was missing." The veterinary surgeon who examined Champ's body reported injuries to his chin, nostril and ear, noting that the severe chin injury had occurred "at least two weeks prior to euthanasia", and that these wounds would have caused him "chronic pain and discomfort".
The vet added, in his statement: "It is my expert opinion that clearly all three dogs - Twig, Charlie and Champ - were caused to suffer as a consequence of the injuries that they had sustained." In mitigation, the court heard that Ebenezer had professional experience working with animals and was held in high regard by his employer.
The court also acknowledged his early guilty pleas.
