7th June 2008

Man Punished For Starving Dog

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The previous owner of BBC Springwatch presenter Kate Humble’s RSPCA rescue dog has been convicted for animal neglect. The RSPCA inspector who investigated the case said Badger was one of the thinnest dogs he had ever seen.

TV presenter Kate - a supporter of the RSPCA’s Pet Adoption Week - which runs from Saturday 7 June to Sunday 15 June 2008 - recently adopted the now healthy Badger from the RSPCA’s Newport Animal Centre.

Rhondda Magistrates’ Court heard that the two-year-old crossbreed terrier – was severely underweight at just 4.8kg when he was first rescued by the RSPCA. His weight had increased by 84 per cent just one month later.

Badger’s previous owner, from Pontypridd, recently pleaded guilty to failing to meet the welfare needs of the dog.

He was instructed to complete a one-year community order and banned from keeping animals for five years. He was also ordered to do 150 hours’ unpaid work, attend an Enhanced Thinking Skills course and pay £260 costs.

In mitigation he said it was his girlfriend’s dog and work commitments kept him away from home.

RSPCA inspector Simon Evans, who investigated the case, said, “This is one of the thinnest dogs I have ever seen. Badger’s rapid rate of recovery shows that he was not underweight due to any illness, but merely from a lack of food.

“The owner showed a complete disregard for his duty of care to the dog – it was his moral and legal responsibility to provide food and he failed to do so. This case sends out a strong message that the courts will take this kind of wilful neglect seriously.”

Badger is now back to full health and happy in his new home with Kate. If you would like to join Kate and give an animal a much-needed new start in life, the RSPCA’s Pet Adoption Week could be your chance.

Kate said, “RSPCA Pet Adoption Week is vital for ensuring as many animals as possible get a really good second start in life. Give an animal like Badger a new home and you give him new hope. It’s brilliant and I’ve loved every minute of adopting my dog. If you know you’re ready for the responsibility of looking after a pet it’s the most rewarding thing you can do.”

In fact, a survey carried out for the RSPCA showed that 89 per cent of people in Great Britain who have adopted a pet said it was a good experience and 87 per cent of people said they would recommend adopting a pet to others.

Every year the RSPCA rehomes around 70,000 animals. They may be unwanted pets that have been dumped, victims of cruelty, or have been handed over to the Society by those whose circumstances have changed. At any one time, the RSPCA has hundreds of animals looking for loving new homes, from large horses to tiny mice – and everything in between.

For an information pack about adopting an animal from the RSPCA, people should call the dedicated PAW phone line on 0300 123 8484 – or they can find out more by visiting www.rspca.org.uk/paw.

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