Romford owners of “emaciated” spaniel banned from keeping dogs
The former owners of Mia the Cavalier King Charles spaniel have been banned from owning dogs for five years - Credit: Archant
The owners of a spaniel that was “completely emaciated” with its bones protruding when found by police have been banned from keeping dogs for five years.
Police discovered the severely underweight spaniel - Credit: Archant
Mia a King Charles Cavalier spaniel was found in her owners’ home by police on December 1, last year. The RSPCA officer who attended the property said that the seven-year-old dog was in “extremely poor bodily condition” having not been fed.
Sharon Johnson, 44, and Robin Bray, 56, both of Lindfield Road, Romford were handed community sentences at Barkingside Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday. Both had pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to an animal between November 10 and December 1 2013.
Johnson was ordered to complete 135 hours of unpaid work while Bray was put under a 14 week curfew from 7pm to 7am. The two were fined £240 each as well as being ordered to pay a £60 victim surcharge.
RSPCA inspector Imara O’Niocail said: “The spaniel, Mia, was emaciated when we found her.
“Fortunately she put on weight very quickly once we gave her access to food and has now been rehomed into a loving home and is doing fantastically well.
“This is a good result after what was an act of animal cruelty and we are pleased to see that they have been given a ban for keeping dogs for five years.”
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Speaking after the case inspector O’Niocail told the Recorder that on December 1 2013 Johnson told her Mia had looked thin for two or three weeks.
In the six weeks after being removed from Bray and Johnson Mia’s body weight increased by 43.4 per cent.
Inspector O’Niocail said that vets could found medical explanation for Mia’s condition other that her owners had failed to give her adequate food.
