|
Dog with large tumour on
face was living in squalid conditions
AN elderly dog with a facial tumour the
size of an orange was rescued from a house where he lived in squalor, in a case
which left the RSPCA inspector who investigated shocked and upset.
Timmy, a 16 year old collie type dog, was found by the local fire crews at a
house in Selby Street, Wallasey, Merseyside, who forced entry after becoming
concerned about the state of the house while doing routine checks in the area.
They found Timmy lying on a sofa in the living room of the property, which was
strewn with rubbish, faeces and mouldy food and there was a strong smell of
ammonia.
RSPCA inspector Anthony Joynes said:-
"The fire crew could smell something very strong and unpleasant through the
letterbox and were concerned that there was a dead body in the house, so they
gained entry with the Police. That's when they found Timmy, so they contacted
us. The house was in squalor; every room was full of faeces. It was very hard to
not stand in faeces as the carpet was full of it. It was one of the worst
environments I have been in. The ammonia smell from the urine was very strong
and there was mouldy food and rubbish on the floor. There was no evidence to
suggest someone had been living there; there was no food in the fridge and there
was no electricity. Timmy was essentially using the house as his kennel and as
his toilet."
Additionally, there were flies all over the
house. Inspector Joynes said:- "It was a wonder that Timmy wasn't
suffering from flystrike too, which happens when flies lay their eggs on an
animal's flesh, with a wound like that on his face. If he hadn't have been found
when he was, we could have been dealing with a dog on the brink of death, or
even the body of a dog. I went home that night quite upset and shocked, just
thinking about what Timmy went through. He is an elderly dog and should have
been relaxing on a sofa in a lovely home, not living as he was, in a lonely,
dirty environment."
Timmy was treated by a vet, and his owner was interviewed by the RSPCA.
In the meantime, Timmy began to recover.
"He had so many hurdles to overcome. He had to have a series of tests to
determine if the tumour was attached to any bones, or if it had spread
elsewhere. Luckily, these tests came back as negative so it was something which
could be surgically removed safely. He survived the operation, however due to
the size of the tumour which had been removed, he was in some discomfort for a
few weeks afterwards, but he has overcome that and now he is living such a nice
life. It makes all the bad thoughts from that day worth it. Timmy is now living
with a vet on a farm in Cheshire and he is having such a lovely life. There is a
genuinely happy ending to such a sad case." said Inspector Joynes.
Timmy's previous owner, Christine Daley, 60,
appeared at Wirral Magistrates' Court, on Wednesday, 8 March 2017, where she
pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to Timmy by failing to provide
veterinary treatment to the tumour, and for failing to meet the needs by not
providing him with a suitable environment, between 1 October and 25 October
2016.
Magistrates disqualified Daley from keeping
all animals for 10 years, gave her a 6 week prison sentence, suspended for 6
months and ordered her to pay costs of ₤1,075.
Timmy's story will feature on Channel 5's The Dog Rescuers later this year
(2017.)
|
