CONVICTED (2021) | Alison Middlebrook, born May 1982, of Highwoods Crescent, Mexborough, Doncaster S64 9HB – left her pets locked inside a filthy abandoned house with no food.
Middlebrook pleaded guilty to two counts of causing unnecessary suffering after a court heard how she left her elderly dog called Jake locked in a dirty house along with a pet cat called Ginge.
In March 2021 RSPCA Inspector Vanessa Reid attended a house in Marton Road, Toll Barr, Doncaster to investigate reports that some cats had been abandoned.
Through the window she could see the house was dirty with faeces on the kitchen floor and dead flies on a windowsill. A bowl was visible in the kitchen but there was no food in it.
When she went into the rear yard she could see the back door moving and an extremely underweight dog began to head towards her.
Vanessa said: “All his ribs, spine and hips were visible, and he was very wobbly on his back end, falling to one side regularly as he walked.
“There were multiple neighbours outside, one of whom advised they believed the dog to be ‘Jake’, an elderly pet they believed the owners to have rehomed years ago.”
Vanessa took 16-year-old Jake for emergency veterinary care and alerted South Yorkshire Police for assistance.
As she waited in her van Middlebrook turned up at the house and gave Vanessa access to the property.
She told Vanessa that she was not living at the house but said she came back to feed the animals.
She stated she had recently rehomed two cats but claimed no-one would take Jake and Ginge, although she confirmed she had not contacted the RSPCA. She immediately signed over both pets into RSPCA care and Vanessa took Ginge for a veterinary examination.
A vet found Jake was emaciated with a body score of 1/9 (with one being the lowest) and at 14.6 kg was about a quarter of his expected body weight.
He also had hair loss, scabs on his body and had untreated fleas on his skin.
Two-year-old Ginge was found to be in better bodily condition but had live fleas on her coat.
The vet concluded: “Keepers of dogs and cats have a responsibility to provide for their animal’s basic needs providing a suitable environment for the animal to live in and a suitable diet. This has clearly not been met by the owner given the poor conditions the animals were kept in.
“If an adequate appropriate diet had been provided then Jake would have been of a better body weight and not severely malnourished.”
The court was told that in RSPCA care Jake went on to put on 4 kgs in weight in 18 days and has since gone on to be rehomed.
Vanessa added: “Jake did so well in RSPCA care and I am pleased he has now found a lovely home to spend the rest of his days. For an older dog he is lively and jumps around.
“Ginge was also rehomed and is also doing well.”
In mitigation the court heard Middlebrook had a difficult upbringing and had previously had a drug addiction.
Sentencing: 10-week prison sentence suspended for 12 months; 10-week curfew; £278 in costs and charges. Five-year ban on owning animals (expires July 2026).
What a tramp.
Thank god they was saved in time
People such as this, should not keep animals Full Stop.