CONVICTED (2024) | Shaun McCourt, born c. 1982, of 17 Hogarth Walk, Liverpool L4 1XQ – kept several injured Mastiff-cross puppies in cramped and squalid conditions.
McCourt, who at the time was living in Ash-Hill Drive, Ashgrove, Aberdeen, turned a blind eye to the suffering of the six puppies and their mother. One pup had to be put down immediately while three others were euthanised soon after.
The court heard how in September 2019, Police Scotland contacted the Scottish SPCA (SSPCA) after discovering a Mastiff and her six puppies inside McCourt’s flat in a neglected state.
The puppies, who were around five months old, were in the living room of the two-bedroom property, which had the door removed and placed sideways across the threshold to prevent them escaping.
SSPCA inspectors discovered a single wooden make-shift pen in the living room which contained soiled bedding and puppy training pads. The pen gave the puppies “little to no room”.
The adult dog was in a bedroom, and inspectors said it became immediately obvious that she was very thin.
The room where Storm was kept smelled strongly of ammonia and the kitchen of the property was in an unkempt state with dog food all over the floor.
SSPCA investigators believed that the puppies had never left the property.
Many of the puppies had suffered bone fractures that were still present or healed in abnormal ways to create bone deformities.
When examined by a vet, the animals were found to have various ailments and infections.
One puppy had suffered a jaw fracture that was so bad she had to be euthanised immediately on welfare grounds.
A second puppy was found with leg swelling, a fractured jaw and skin infections while a a third had suffered a fracture of his upper incisor, resulting in his gums being severely infected and inflamed.
A fourth puppy had an infection that had originated from a puncture wound, alongside fractures where the bones had healed the wrong way creating leg deformities.
Their mother, Storm, was given a body score of two out of nine with her ribs, spine and hips prominent. Her hind legs were coated in dried faces while sections of her body were covered in paint and her paws were inflamed.
The vet who examined the dogs said she had “never seen puppies in such a bad bodily condition”.
Defence solicitor Debbie Ginniver told the court that McCourt had obtained Storm and that a member of his family planned to breed her but said the dog had “become pregnant much earlier than planned”.
“Mr McCourt accepts that he let the care of the dogs slip, but he hadn’t realised how badly he had let it slip,” the solicitor said.
“He has always owned dogs and nothing like this has ever happened before – he insists his behaviour wasn’t intentional.”
Sheriff Bannerman told McCourt: “I have absolutely no doubt that if not for your actions there would be six dogs in society today instead of only two.
“It’s frankly horrendous and in my view there is only one disposal and that’s a custodial sentence.”
Alison McKenzie, Procurator Fiscal for Aberdeen, said: “This was a shocking case of animal cruelty.
“The pain and mental suffering these dogs endured while in Shaun McCourt’s care is unthinkable.
“These poor animals suffered the terrible consequences of McCourt’s appalling neglect.”
Sentencing | jailed for five months. Disqualified from owning dogs for five years (expires June 2029).
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The SSPCA’s Investigation
SSPCA chief inspector, Fiona McKenzie, said “We attended a premises in Aberdeen on 16 September 2019 after being contacted by Police Scotland. They had been called to the property the previous evening for a separate matter and become concerned at the neglected state of the puppies and dog they discovered there.
“All six puppies were contained in the living room by a door which had been taken off its hinges and placed on its side blocking the doorway.
“The puppies were large bull breeds and of an age where they’d normally be away from their mother and littermates. All six had swellings on their bodies and one had an obvious injury to their eye.
“They were very excitable and playing very roughly with each other. The furniture in the room was destroyed and there were no dog toys or enrichment to occupy them so it was evident they were taking their energy and frustration out on the room and each other.
“Storm, the mother of the puppies, was shut in another room. She was very thin and all her ribs were visible. The smell of ammonia from the room was overpowering and she had obviously been toileting in there for some time. The floor was covered in faeces and dry dog food.
“The puppies were so big they had to be carried downstairs one at a time. Once outside they became very introverted and froze in place. We normally see this type of behaviour in animals who have never been outside before, so we believe the puppies had never left the confines of the property.
“On veterinary examination it was discovered that all of the puppies had horrific injuries that would have been causing them significant suffering. It is likely the puppies had inflicted all of these injuries on each other due to over stimulation and rough play.
“One puppy had a complete fracture of the jaw that would have been present for at least eight weeks, sadly this puppy had to be put to sleep on welfare grounds as the injury could now not be treated.
“Another puppy had to have an eye removed and there was another which was found to have two fractured limbs.
“Storm was found to be suffering from skin, eye and ear infections as well as being in overall emaciated condition.
“We are happy that McCourt has been imprisoned as this was a shocking case of neglect where these poor puppies sustained injuries that could impact them for the rest of their lives. Their injuries would have been obvious and any responsible pet owner would have sought veterinary treatment immediately.”
The two remaining puppies have since been rehomed.