CONVICTED (2022) | David A Littlefair, born 9 July 1996, of 59 Marshfield Avenue, Goole DN14 5JJ and Olivia Watson, born 4 May 1999, of 7 Moorland Road, Goole DN14 5TY – left their flea infested dog to suffer immense pain before her tragic death and had a hole dug in the garden ready to bury her.
Littlefair called the RSPCA asking for the Westie, named Pippa, to be put down as she was very ill.
When the volunteer arrived, she saw the dog was weak, covered in scabs and with rotting teeth – but still breathing.
Pippa died on the way to Goole branch of the RSPCA.
Littlefair appeared at Hull Magistrates’ Court on Friday 14 January 2022 alongside his ex-girlfriend Olivia Watson.
Both admitted to causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal.
Ms Louise Freeman, prosecuting, told the court that the volunteer believed the animal had been suffering for weeks, if not months, prior to her death.
Ms Freeman said: “The poor condition the dog was in was quite distressing to her, she noticed clotting around the dog’s back end, the ears had black substance in and around it, the dog was thin and smelled as though something was off.
“She was visibly underweight, her spine, ribs and hipbone were protruding. Her fur was in extremely poor condition and there was obvious loss of fur on her back end.
“She had numerous sores which had been scabbed over, scabs were black and yellow. There was also a substantial amount of compact faeces under her tail. She had fleas on her head and body and fleas were seen crawling on the blanket.”
The dog’s body was taken to the vet, who said there was evidence of dehydration and self-trauma caused by the flea infestation.
Pippa also had severe dental issues which would made it difficult for her to eat with her teeth in such conditions.
The vet said it was difficult said it was difficult to determine her cause of death, but it was likely that she was reluctant to eat because of the pain she suffered from all of the ailments.
Ms Freeman added: “A responsible owner should have sought veterinary advice, but not doing so, it contributed to the dog suffering.”
During an interview after Pippa’s death, Littlefair said he admits he could have done more, but due to a low income, this was not easy.
Craig Davy, mitigating for Watson, said Littlefair owned the dog. He brought Pippa along with him when he moved into Watson’s home.
Watson had taken Pippa to the vet on a few occasions but believed it should have been Littlefair’s responsibility as the pet owner.
The magistrates hearing the case believed a pre-sentence report from the probation service needed to be prepared before a sentence could be given.
They adjourned the case, giving both defendants unconditional bail until they next appear in court.
Littlefair will appear in court again on Tuesday, March 15 and Watson will appear on Wednesday, March 23.
Updates for sentencing
16 March 2022: David Littlefair was given a two year community order with 15 days of rehabilitation activity requirements and ordered to do 300 hours of unpaid community work. He was also fined £445, made up of £350 in prosecution costs and a £95 surcharge. Littlefair was also banned indefinitely from having any pet for a minimum of seven years before possible appeal.
The presiding magistrate gave the financial difficulties cited in mitigation short shrift, stating that the defendant had money to spend on tattoos so could have paid for medical treatment of the dog, and that he was aware that a lack of treatment meant the dog’s condition would get worse.
It Does State: Watson had taken Pippa to the vet on a few occasions. But it doesn’t state what Treatments or anything the Dog had Received. Surely the RSPCA could have checked this with the Vet, to see exactly How Long Ago this was before this incident, and checked what Medication was Prescribed.
We simply cannot allow our Pets to suffer, we all need to know when to call it a day and have our Pet Euthanised when they start to suffer. Its such a Pity they left it so long before contacting the RSPCA, and should have asked for help sooner than they did. An instant Bath with plenty of Flea Shampoo, and Vacuuming the House and Washing everything like the Pets Bedding Regularly, would sort the Flea Problem out, as most Pet Owners sometimes have problems with Fleas with their Pets.