Dog owner is banned; Woman let pet suffer from flea allergy without treatment

Evening Chronicle (Newcastle, England), March 12, 2008

Byline: By TOM MULLEN

A WOMAN who left her dog in fleainfested squalor has been banned from keeping animals.

Eileen Proud left Bella, a Staffordshire bull terrier, suffering from a flea allergy with no treatment for almost a month.

RSPCA inspectors found the wimpering dog covered in sores and open wounds, in squalid conditions at the mother-of-four's home, in Kenton, Newcastle.

And she was taken into the charity's care.

Newcastle RSPCA inspector Trevor Walker described the conditions in which the dog was living as "appalling".

Magistrates were shown photographs of a filthy cage littered with faeces which was used for Bella's puppies.

And images of a squalid living room strewn with black bin liners, clothes, toys and rubbish were also shown.

Now Proud, 47, has been banned from keeping animals for seven years after pleading guilty to a charge of not seeking treatment for a sick animal.

Proud, of Harvard Road, Kenton, initially denied the charge but changed her plea after a vet gave evidence in her trial.

Christopher Gray, the veterinary surgeon who treated Bella, said: "My impression of this dog was that it was very subdued.

"Staffordshire bull terriers are normally bouncing around on the table.

"There was redness throughout the majority of her skin and extensive hair loss. It was twitching because it was so sore."

The court heard Proud had at one stage put tea tree balm on the dog's wounds, which was likely to have made them even sorer.

Proud had at first taken Bella to a PDSA vet but did not attend a follow-up appointment.

Proud owned three other dogs which she gave away after Bella was rescued, last June. She still owns two cats which will now be taken into RSPCA care following the ban.

Magistrates also ordered her to pay pounds 250 costs.

After the hearing Inspector Walker said: "This woman failed to provide treatment for her dog when she knew she could get treatment - even for free from the PDSA."

CAPTION(S):

SHAMED: Eileen Proud and, below, Bella the dog, who was taken into the care of the RSPCA