Bridgend dog-sitter given suspended prison sentence after leaving French bulldogs to die in hot car

A dog-sitter has been handed a suspended prison sentence after two dogs she left in a car on a warm day died.

Two French bulldogs, Lila and Phab, were found dead in an unattended vehicle, having died of heat stroke or heat stress, according to a postmortem.

Janine Maloney from Bridgend ran a commercial dog walking and sitting business at the time, and was looking after the two dogs between 3 and 5 September 2021.

The owner, who has not been named, described Lila and Phab as her "soul companions", adding it was the first time she had left them with anyone.

She added: “It has been horrendous. I have nightmares about what they would have gone through.

"I trusted this person. I just don’t want other people and animals to go through this.

"I would like to thank the RSPCA for all their support and I would also like to thank the community for their support as well."

In written evidence, a vet said they believed Lila and Phab "have been caused to suffer" and their needs "have not been met to the extent required by good practice".

In a statement from the RSPCA, deputy chief inspector Gemma Black said she met with the owner of the two dogs who was “very emotional about what had happened.”

DCI Black added: “She (the owner) told me that Ms Maloney had returned to her address on Sunday 5 September 2021 with the dogs dead.

"She told me that Ms Maloney claimed to have left them in the car during the Sunday, during hot weather and she believed this was how they died.”

On the day, temperatures ranged between 16C at 10am and 22C at 5pm, with the dogs dying sometime during that timeframe.

The dogs had been left in the car without water or air conditioning and without any windows left open.

In mitigation, Cardiff Magistrates Court heard Maloney has closed the business, is a carer for an elderly relative and described the incident as a tragic mistake.

But the District Judge said there was a "blatant lack of care" and said Maloney had done nothing on the day and did not check on the dogs.

Speaking after sentencing DCI Black, said: “I would like to thank my colleagues, inspector Julie Fadden and deputy chief inspector Gemma Cooper, for their work on this heartbreaking case - and all of our thoughts go out to the owner of Lila and Phab.“We hope this tragic case reminds people that the risk to the lives of animals is so high.

"Our message is simple: never leave a dog in a hot car - ‘not long’ is too long, and if you see a dog in a hot car, call 999 immediately.”

Maloney, of Maesteg Road, Bridgend, was handed a 16-week suspended prison sentence after previously pleading guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to the dogs and failing to meet their needs.

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