CONVICTED (2017) | Daniel Gerard Taggart of Rockfield Drive, Portaferry, Newtownards BT22 1RL – for the neglect of a golden labrador dog, who had had so little exercise his toenails had curled into his paw pads
Taggart was found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to the nine-year-old dog, named Barney, who was seized by Ards and North Down Borough Council’s animal welfare officer in January 2016.
A vet reported it was the worst case of toenail overgrowth he had seen, in more than 13 years of practice.
The vet estimated that the nails would have taken at least 18 months to get into the condition they were in, making it highly unlikely that the dog received any exercise in a long time.
Barney was placed with the Animal Connexions charity and has since been rehomed.
Sentencing:
Three-month custodial sentence suspended for 12 months. Costs of £963.27. Lifetime ban from keeping or having any involvement with any animals.