20 May 2008: Newhaven resident guilty of cruelty to dog

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Lewes District Council has successfully obtained a prosecution under the 2006 Animal Welfare Act. Staff at Raystede Centre for Animal Welfare were shocked by the appearance of a male Staffordshire Bull Terrier when it was brought in by a person claiming it was a stray.

Staff called Lewes District Council animal wardens who found the dog in a very poor condition, suffering from severe mange, alopecia and resulting infections. The vet who examined the dog agreed that the best course of action was to have it put to sleep as it was in so much discomfort and pain.

Once the animal wardens had traced the owner, it was confirmed that the dog was not a stray but owned by the person who had originally brought it to Raystede.

This Newhaven resident was sentenced to a community order for 12 months with 50 hours unpaid work; a curfew order for 6 months from 7pm-7am daily and she will be tagged during this period. She was disqualified from keeping any animal for 10 years.

Emma Allen, animal warden at Lewes District Council said “We are here to give help or advice about the care of animals and also investigate complaints about stray dogs, dangerous dogs and animal cruelty. It is now an offence to fail to seek medical treatment for an animal if this causes unnecessary suffering. In this particular case we felt very strongly about the suffering caused by the lack of medical attention to this dog and are confident that this successful action will act as a warning to other owners that they must take responsibility for their animals”.

For more information about the work of our animal wardens please visit http://www.lewes.gov.uk/environment/747.asp

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Media enquiries to Liz Lacon, Communications Manager