CONVICTED (2022) | Ben Daniel Taylor, born c. 1977, of Coleraine Road, London SE3 8NU – left his dog to waste away with painful terminal cancer.
Taylor pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to his 10-year-old mastiff, Bozo. The dog was diagnosed with terminal bone cancer in early 2020, and further x-rays showed it had probably spread to his lungs.
Taylor was advised that bone tumours are extremely painful for dogs and even normal activity would likely lead to fractures because the bone was weakened.
A vet told Stratford Magistrates’ Court: “The owner was advised that amputation was not in Bozo’s best interests given the size of the dog, and the advanced state of the cancer with suspected spread to the lungs. It was strongly recommended that Bozo be euthanased.”
However, Taylor refused to put Bozo down and asked to be referred to a specialist surgeon for a second opinion. Bozo was discharged with medication and referred to a specialist, but Taylor then cancelled that appointment.
On May 20, 2020, he contacted his vet again to say that Bozo had deteriorated and organised for him to be euthanised. However, Taylor never attended the appointment and failed to attend further medication, leaving Bozo in a state of suffering.
A month later, on June 15, Bozo was brought to an animal hospital in a horrific state where his bones were prominent because he was extremely thin.
The vet said: “On examination, Bozo was collapsed, unable to ambulate, lying on his right side, consciously depressed, seemed unaware of his surroundings and showed severely reduced responsiveness to surroundings and people. He was groaning. The body condition score was assessed as 1/5 (1 being emaciated, 5 being obese), and he weighed 40.8kg. The bones of the spine, pelvis, ribs, shoulder blades and skull were prominent.”
The vet said Bozo had a raised heart rate, abnormal breathing and his leg was swollen and ulcerated with a “putrid, foul smell”.
They took the decision to put him to sleep immediately before taking x-rays which showed the “complete destruction of the bone in his lower leg” and the tumour had “progressed significantly”.
Bozo’s body was seized by police and taken to the Royal Vetinary College for a post mortem which found Bozo had a malignant bone tumour originating in the leg and spreading to multiple bones, including the ribs and vertebrae, and the lung. It also found a bacterial infection.
The post mortem report said: “Both of these disease processes would have been painful and caused suffering… The size of the tumour and extent of spread, would be consistent with this occurring over a period of months.”
The court was told that Taylor was a “well-meaning” but incompetent dog owner. Deciding on his sentence, magistrates said that by delaying Bozo’s euthanasia Taylor had caused serious and substantial suffering.
RSPCA inspector James Whipps said: “Vets looking at the clinical evidence estimated that poor Bozo had been suffering for months and the condition of his body showed that he’d deteriorated more and more as the weeks passed.
“Making the decision to have your pet put to sleep is the hardest part of pet ownership, but it is so important to ensure that your pet is not suffering and that they have a good quality of life. Sadly, on this occasion, Bozo was left to suffer despite the expert advice of vets.”
Sentencing: 12 weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months; £628 in costs and charges. A ONE-year ban.
So sad and heart breaking.
His heart was in the right place, taking him back and fore the Vets. Its so sad when we have to have our Pets Euthanised. We have to know when to draw the line and not let them suffer. If only he could have got a friend or neighbour to take him to the Vet to be euthanised. Failing which this is the result.