CONVICTED (2011) | Donna Lorraine Swift, born 14/09/1972, formerly of Sash Street and more recently Tennyson Road, Stafford ST17 9ST – let her dog Bobby become so underweight she was close to death
Swift was feeding black cross-breed Bobby so little that RSPCA inspectors said the dog had been forced to use her reserves of body fat in order to survive.
Harrowing pictures taken when Bobby was seized by the animal charity showed the dog’s ribs were visible through her fur. She was also suffering from a bad skin condition.
Single mother-of two Swift claimed she could not afford to take Bobby to the vet and did not need to because “she has never been ill”.
The court heard Swift had owned Bobby since she was a puppy nine years earlier.
After an RSPCA inspector visited Swift’s home and referred the dog to a vet, they rated Bobby’s condition at a lowly 0.5 out of 10.
A vet who examined Bobby said she was close to dying had she not been rescued. The dog was signed over to the RSPCA and in just a few weeks she had made a “marked” improvement.
Swift admitted two counts of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal.
Sentencing: 100 hours of community work; contribution to £750 costs; banned from owning any animal for five years (expired October 2016).