06 January 2024 , 13:42
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Three American bulldog puppies died after they were left to starve to death by a sick couple who were found guilty of causing the deaths.
Stephanie Boyd, 42, and Daniel Jordan, 35, of Uxbridge Grove were sentenced at Hull Magistrates Court on Friday after pleading guilty at a prior hearing. The pair has since been barred from owning animals for the remainder of their lives after the couple bred American Bulldogs in captivity and caused unnecessary suffering to six puppies with spinal deformities. The pair were given a four-month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months as well as costs of £400 each.
Three of the six pups sadly died as veterinarians rushed to aid the dogs (RSPCA)A man claims on December 28, 2022, his son found six malnourished pups in the street and took them to a rescue centre. The RSPCA was contacted, who subsequently put out a plea for information on the six animals. Two of the puppies sadly died overnight while the remaining four required immediate veterinary treatment. An unnamed member of the public contacted the RSPCA and tipped them off to the breeders of the six animals, Boyd and Jordan.
RSPCA inspector Claire Mitchell, speaking at court, said: "I asked what had happened to their most recent puppies and Stephanie said that six puppies had been rehomed at the beginning of December to a man she didn’t know and had no details of." A telephone number left by the man who submitted the puppies to the RSPCA matched with Jordan's phone. Inspector Mitchell said: "At this point I suspected that it was Daniel Jordan that had dropped off the puppies [at the rescue centre] and that they had never been dumped."
A vet who examined the surviving puppies, three males and one female, said the animals were in a poor body condition, HullLive reported. They said: "They had no muscle mass and bony prominences visible under the skin. All four puppies had a body condition score of one out of nine, where one is emaciated, and nine is obese. All of the puppies had a hunched posture, appearance of curved spines and malnourishment and some live fleas were visible in their coats.
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"I suspected that the postural deformities shown in these puppies was due to malnutrition and limited exercise over a prolonged period. I would expect a reasonable owner to provide food suitable for the age of a dog, to achieve a healthy weight and body condition, and to seek guidance and veterinary attention if unsure what diet to provide, especially when it becomes obvious that the puppies are suffering malnourishment."
One of the four surviving puppies did not improve and was put to sleep to end their suffering, while the remaining three dogs recovered and were rehomed. Following the sentencing, Inspector Mitchell said: "They claimed the puppies had been found abandoned, but what actually happened was that Boyd and Jordan had bred them and then did not give them the proper nutrition and exercise required, resulting in them becoming ill.
"It is sad that three of the puppies did not survive. However, the three surviving puppies went onto new homes and now have new lives. We’re grateful to the members of the public and the rescue centre for their help in bringing this case to court."