Mother-of-five Leanne Fallow, 39, from Thorntree in Middlesborough, has been banned from having animals for five years after keeping a litter of Serbian Mastiffs in such a poor condition that their fur fell out.
The pups and their mother had suffered so badly that their skin had turned red raw, with the pain causing them to bite their own flesh.
John Ellwood, prosecuting on behalf of the RSPCA at Teesside Magistrates' Court, said: 'Two vets have certified that animals in this case have been suffering substantially.
'They were suffering from mange and had been self-traumatising themselves (by) scratching themselves and biting themselves and had thereby suffered secondary bacterial infection.'
Mr Ellwood explained that one puppy was in a 'very bad condition', adding: 'She had areas of skin that were open and sores and lots of crusty areas on her face.
'Her paws were swollen and inflamed - the inspector was very concerned about the way the animals were being kept.'
The court also heard the puppies' mum, Sheba, was 'underweight' and along with her litter had an untreated 'terrible skin condition' (similar to mange).
However, the prosecution claimed Fallow used Sheba to breed several puppies, a process Mr Ellwood said was 'highly suspicious'.
He said: 'The defendant claims not to know how her female became pregnant and who the father of her puppies was.'
Fallow had also claimed she gave away 'a number of' puppies to strangers by the time the investigation launched.
The RSPCA say she allowed the dog to breed to sell the dogs on, with the court hearing she had spoken on Facebook with a banned dog dealer to sell the pups.
Mr Ellwood said: 'The defendant's account appears to be that a large dog became pregnant and she does not know where or why and that she gave away some of the puppies to people she does not even know or remember.
'This appears to be a lie.
'She has on her Facebook a photograph of the mother of the puppies in her outhouse with a large male Serbian mastiff with mutilated ears.'
The court heard that mutilation was often carried out with Stanley knives on the breed to make them look 'fierce'.
This was first noticed by kindly Glynn Dack who helped raise the alarm after believing to have seen the 'mutilated' puppies mate with Sheba.
He took one puppy home last August after spotting their awful condition to try to nurse it back to health, despite having no intention of keeping it.
But Fallow, who her solicitor claimed was an 'animal lover', came around to take it back.
However, he was concerned enough to raise the alarm to the RSCPA, who also received reports from others, including a Middlesbrough Council officer, with police seizing the animals, who have since recovered.
In January, Fallow admitted four offences of causing unnecessary suffering, with Mr Elwood adding she caused 'prolonged neglect' for commercial gain.
However, he was concerned enough to raise the alarm to the RSCPA, who also received reports from others, including a Middlesbrough Council officer, with police seizing the animals, who have since recovered.
In January, Fallow admitted four offences of causing unnecessary suffering, with Mr Elwood adding she caused 'prolonged neglect' for commercial gain.
In mitigation, Fallow from Thorntree in Middlesborough, was said to have had a family Staffordshire pit bull for almost a decade, which had become 'one of the children' since a tragedy struck.
Her attorney Daniel Burke claimed: 'She's desperate to keep that dog. It is part of the family since the death of her husband. She does love animals - she's not a callous woman.'
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| Is this love, Daniel Burke? |
However, magistrates sentenced her to 12 weeks' custody, suspended for a year.
They also ordered her to pay £250 costs, £180 vet costs and a £115 charge while the RSPCA will now seize her family dog.
(Daily Mail - February 8, 2017)
