Mother and son from Batley who kept dogs in 'squalor' banned from owning animals
A mother and son who kept their dogs in squalor have been banned from owning animals.
Michelle and Ethan Lee Farrar from Batley pleaded guilty to neglecting to provide a suitable environment for their dog, Storm, as well as failing to get him medical treatment.
RSPCA inspector Rebecca Goulding visited the house in Oakhill Road to check on the welfare of the pets following complaints from neighbours.
The court heard how Ms Goulding peered through the window and could see an adult dog and a puppy through the window and that they looked in "reasonable condition".
She said: "But the stench of urine and faeces that could be smelt from outside the property, combined with the filthy windows and stained curtains suggested that conditions inside were not suitable for the dogs.
"The living room appeared in complete disarray and all surfaces were covered in faeces.
When I got inside of the house, the smell of urine and faeces in the living room was overpowering.”
The RSPCA was told by the Ethan Farrar at the house that the two dogs belonged to his mother Michelle Farrar, who although the legal tenant of the Oakhill Road property, lived elsewhere, in Ealand Road.
She advised him that the house was "unsuitable" for the dogs and that improvements must be made of the pets would be removed.
The officer made "many" unsuccessful attempts to revisit the property, but Michelle Farrar eventually agreed to sign the puppy over to the RSPCA and move Storm to an address in Ealand Road, Dewsbury.
But when Ms Goulding visited a month later she discovered that Storm was once again back at the house in Batley in unsuitable conditions and looked "very thin."
He was taken into the care of the RSPCA and examined by a vet and treatment was started.
Storm had dental disease which was causing her to experience pain. The condition had been present for some time and Storm would have suffered for a period of at least five days, but probably longer.
A spokesperson for the RSPCA said: “Not only did they repeatedly ignore instructions to improve the conditions that Storm was being forced to live in, but there was also no excuse for failing to get veterinary care for her when it was abundantly clear she so desperately needed it.
“This was a sad case and Storm’s suffering could have easily been avoided. "
Storm was later rehomed by the RSPCA, and though sadly diagnosed with cancer, had a new home for the remainder of her life.
Michelle Farrar and her son Ethan were sentenced at Bradford Magistrates Court.
Alongside a five year ban on keeping animals the were also both given community orders and fined £400 costs and a victim surcharge of £114.
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