A woman has been banned from keeping animals for 15 years after her three-year-old dog was tied to wardrobe and left to die in a room covered in faeces and urine. Amy Pamela Dawkins, of Rectory Road in Matson, Gloucester, was found guilty of animal cruelty after her husky Milo was slowly strangled to death, tied by his neck to a wardrobe door. Police thought Milo was already dead when they found him motionless, with his head bent backwards and his collar tied so tightly to a door handle that he couldn’t rest on the floor.
The filthy room was covered in urine and faeces and had a bowl of water placed out of his reach. The three-year-old husky was barely alive when he was found and a vet confirmed he was dangerously underweight, dehydrated, anaemic and suffering from a heart murmur. His nails had also grown long and his fur was matted and caked in filth. Tragically, his condition did not measurably improve and he had to be put to sleep.
Authorities found Milo in December last year after being alerted to concerns for his welfare, as reported by NeedToKnow.
Ms Dawkins was handed a 12-month jail term suspended for 18 months, an 18-month mental health treatment order, six months of alcohol treatment and 15 rehab days.
Magistrates said it was “one of the worst cases of animal cruelty they had seen”.
RSPCA inspector Richard Carr said: “Milo was extremely underweight, you could easily feel every rib and spine.
“His hip bones were prominent with no fat covering. He was mobile but seemed very subdued.”
Milo suffered repeated seizures while receiving treatment but briefly rallied before his condition worsened again.
“This was not the outcome we had hoped for and I know the condition of Milo was distressing for all involved but we can take some heart in knowing that he did finally receive the love he deserved in our care,” Mr Carr said.
“I would like to thank the police for their prompt response and the person who reported the matter to them.
“We rely on the public to be our ‘eyes and ears’ to try and prevent terrible suffering to animals and prevent cases like this.”
