CONVICTED (2018) | Alisa Jane Herd (née Brown) aka Ally Herd, born 4 June 1981, and Stewart David Herd aka Shep Cash, born 18 December 1961, at the time of Disraeli Street, Blyth NE24 1HZ* – failed to seek vet treatment for their pets’ flea infestations; three cats and two dogs found bald, scabby and red raw.
Alisa Brown and Stewart Herd pleaded guilty to two counts each of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal after their two dogs and three cats became so infested with fleas they lost most of their fur from itching and had skin infections.
All five animals lived, along with four other pets, at the couple’s “cluttered” and “ammonia-smelling” home in Blyth and had suffered “prolonged neglect”, RSPCA inspectors claimed.
For at least three months, Brown and Herd hadn’t sought vet treatment for their flea infestations, prosecutors said. Both dogs, called Tyler and Gem, and the three cats were eventually seized by the RSPCA officers and police after concerns were raised about their welfare by the local authority.
John Ellwood, prosecuting for the RSPCA, said the charity’s inspectors and the police visited the couple’s home on March 22, 2018 after concerns were raised regarding animal welfare by Northumberland County Council.
“The door was opened by Stewart Herd,” Mr Ellwood told South East Northumberland Magistrates’ Court. “He told the officers to f**k off and slammed the door.
“Alisa Brown then came to the door and invited the officers in. The living room was cluttered and unkempt and smelled of ammonia.”
The court heard that, initially, the inspectors saw four cats, who were in “reasonable” condition and do not form part of the charges.
However, a further cat was seen in the kitchen, which had fur loss and red skin and was covered in scabs and dirt, Mr Ellwood said.
The prosecutor added: “A lurcher dog was then brought downstairs. His condition was very sad – he was almost completely bald.
“You could see a large amount of fleas all over his body and he was covered in scabs.”
As well as the lurcher, called Tyler, two other cats in a similar condition were discovered and the animals were seized and taken to the vets.
The dog and three cats were all found to have painful skin conditions, which were the result of “at least three-months” of untreated flea infestations.
They were given antibiotics and have since recovered, magistrates were told.
However, just four days later, RSPCA inspectors were called again to Brown and Herd’s home after concerns were raised for another animal, a dog called Gem.
Mr Ellwood said: “The defendant Brown was asked why she didn’t mention Gem at the previous visit and she said the dog was under a duvet and she had forgotten about it.
“The dog was almost hairless. This type of dog is relatively hairless normally but she was also covered in scabs, her ears were red and thickened, she smelled of yeast and her nails were long. She was seized by the police.”
Gem was also taken to the vets and found to be suffering from alopecia and a mange infection.
Mr Ellwood added: “The suffering here was unnecessary, prolonged, preventable and treatable. However, the defendant’s did nothing.”
The court was told that both Brown and Herd had been under considerable personal pressure and were usually “animal-loving people”.
Sentencing | 12-month community orders including 50 hours each of unpaid work. Banned from keeping pets for life.
Update | September 2023
Herd was handed her third lifetime ban on keeping animals after she was found in breach of previous court orders.
On December 14, 2022, an RSPCA inspector and a police officer visited the home of Alisa Herd, on Castle Terrace, Ashington, and discovered the now 42-year-old was keeping a cat and a dog.
Previous court orders, handed out in June 2018 and November 2022, had barred Herd from keeping animals for life.
Speaking during the North Tyneside Magistrates Court hearing, RSPCA inspector Kirsty Keogh-Laws said: “After some discussion on the doorstep, Herd admitted she was aware she was banned from keeping animals and that she owned a ginger and white cat known as Loki.
“She advised she had owned him a few weeks and he was her emotional support animal. “It became apparent there was a dog in the house. Herd advised this was a dog she was looking after for a friend.
“I advised because of the ban in place, the animals could not remain in her care.”
On Thursday, September 14, 2023, magistrates handed Herd a further lifetime ban that cannot be contested for five years, an 18-month community order, and ordered her to pay costs of £300 and a £114 victim surcharge.
Inspector Keogh-Laws said: “The sentencing reflects the serious nature of this offence as Herd ignored two previous disqualifications imposed by the courts.
“As a result of this breach, Loki was removed from Herd and taken into the RSPCA’s care, where he has since found a new home.”
*The Herds now live at 95 Castle Terrace, Ashington NE63 9JQ.