Emaciated Spaniel, covered in mess, had to be put down

UNITED KINGDOM -- A Cocker Spaniel had to be put down after it was found in its owners’ shed covered in its own excrement.

Colchester Magistrates’ Court heard how David Bramble and Amy James kept the dog named Tyson in the shed in their garden.

The couple both admitted four charges each of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal and a duty of responsibility to it, when they appeared in court.

Stuart Cooper, prosecuting, said an inspector was called to their home in Fairfax Road, Colchester, on March 14 this year by a training inspector who was responding to concerns from a member of the public.

“When the senior officer attended the location, they saw the Cocker Spaniel, Tyson, laying on a plastic bed on sheets sodden in urine and faeces.

“The plastic bed was in the garden,” he said.
  
During the inspection, the couple returned home where it was revealed the dog had been covered in carpets and other materials in the shed.
  
A bowl of food left for the dog was rotting.
  
Mr Cooper said: “The dog was described as heavily matted and her fur contained amounts of urine and faeces.
  
“It couldn’t stand and was thin and they could feel its spine and ribs - it was emaciated.”
Tyson was taken to the vets but had to be put down.
  
Mr Cooper said James, 24, claimed she’d had no involvement in Tyson’s care and had noticed the animal’s fur was becoming matted and told Bramble.
  
Bramble, 33, told inspectors he felt “ashamed of himself” for allowing the dog to remain in the condition it was in.
  
The pair will reappear at Colchester Magistrates’ Court on October 9 for sentencing.
  
They were granted unconditional bail.

(Gazette News - Sept 16, 2013)