A man who failed to adequately feed and seek veterinary attention for his dog has been sentenced.
WARNING: SOME READERS MAY FIND THE CONTENT DISTRESSING
Stephen Gardiner was sentenced to an £800 fine and a £40 victim surcharge on 17 March at Selkirk Sheriff Court after pleading guilty to failing to seek veterinary attention for his soiled and matted coat.
On 19 May 2022, a vet raised concerns to the Scottish SPCA over the condition of a dog that had come into their care. The vet had been called to attend Mr Gardiner’s property by his brother, after Max had been crying in pain and distress for hours.
Dog found in “extremely weak” and underweight condition
When the vets arrived at the property, they found Max to be barely responsive, moaning, and unable to get up. His coat was heavily soiled with urine and faeces, and he was severely matted.
The vet said: “He seemed very weak and was in distress. He was also visibly underweight, with his ribs, spine, and pelvic bones easily visible from a distance”.
Max had to be carried to the vet on a stretcher
Due to the severity of Max’s body condition, he had to be carried out in a stretcher to be transported to the vet practice for treatment.
Unfortunately, on arrival at the practice, the dog’s breathing became significantly worse. The vet made attempts to administer him with emergency treatment but before this could be carried out, Max began to writhe in agony and his heart stopped.
Vet confirms weeks of suffering and chronic neglect
The vet said: “Upon examination, we concluded Max had been either chronically underweight for a period of more than eight weeks or had lost a substantial amount of weight within a time frame of approximately 6-8 weeks. He would have benefitted from veterinary attention in either scenario.
“We struggled to clip the hair on his leg using electric clippers when at the surgery due to the extent of matting present. There was a strong potent odour from Max due to his coat being so heavily soiled. I was unable to take a temperature as the hair around his anus was impenetrable.
“In my opinion, it would have taken at least several weeks to result in the extent of coat matting that Max had. I believe that Max suffered unnecessarily for a substantial period of time – 7-10 days at a minimum.”
Severe matting and soiling left Max unable to move or toilet
The amount of soiling in Max’s coat showed that he hadn’t been able to go to the toilet for a number of days and had likely been unable to move for several days. There was a large mat surrounding his penis, that would have also prevented him from urinating freely. This would have caused him considerable distress and may have been painful due to urine scalding of the surrounding area.
Scottish SPCA rescues second dog from the property
A Scottish SPCA Inspector attended Mr Gardiner’s property and it was decided it was in the best interest to remove the remaining dog, named Memphis, from the property. He was taken to the Scottish SPCA’s Edinburgh Animal Rescue & Rehoming Centre.
A post-mortem examination of Max found the severity of the matted hair and failure to address the weight loss were consistent with neglect and a failure to address it is likely to have compromised the animal’s welfare.
A missed opportunity to show animal neglect won’t be tolerated
A Scottish SPCA Inspector said: “We respect the Sheriff’s decision but feel disappointed that a harsher punishment wasn’t imposed. We believe the offences were serious enough for a ban on owning animals to be imposed. Max was left in severe distress and pain for weeks, and the sentencing is not in line with the suffering inflicted on the poor animal.
“Stephen Gardiner showed complete disregard for the welfare of the animal in his care. The condition Max was found in was shocking and heart-breaking.
“This was a missed opportunity to show that animal neglect will not be tolerated in Scotland”.
Help us strengthen animal welfare laws in Scotland
The Scottish SPCA’s key mission is to safeguard the welfare of all of Scotland’s animals, and we are tirelessly working to also make this a top priority for parliamentarians. Our recently published Manifesto outlines four key asks which will help ensure Scotland is at the forefront of animal welfare. Delivering on these asks is crucial to prevent future harm and tackle repeat offending, which will help achieve our mission to make Scotland the best place for an animal to call home. Read our full Manifesto and sign our petition to show your support.
To report any act of cruelty, please Report a Concern.
