Ban for woman who left starved puppy in crate

Joey, an eight-month-old chihuahua-shih tzu cross, died from starvation

A woman who starved her eight-month-old puppy to death and left it dead in a crate has been banned from keeping animals indefinitely.

Dazie Howe, 25, initially claimed the pet, a female chihuahua-shih tzu cross, was not hers and that she was "baffled" a dog was found by RSPCA inspectors in her garden.

The RSPCA said the animal had endured "severe suffering" for at least a month and was found underweight and lying in faeces.

Howe, of Lascelles Place, Goldsborough, near Knaresborough, had admitted animal cruelty at an earlier hearing and was handed an 18-month community order alongside the ban and fined £334 at York Magistrates' Court on 1 November.

Magistrates were told RSPCA inspector Rowena Proctor visited Howe’s home on 18 February and found the dog deceased and with its ribs, pelvis and spine protruding.

In her written evidence, Ms Proctor wrote: “Before I had even explained why I was there, Howe immediately started to say ‘that dog is not mine, I don’t even know if it is a dog or how it got there, but my dog died and that isn’t her.’

“As I took photos, Ms Howe stood beside me telling me how her dog, Joey, had died at the vets and asked me if the ‘thing’ in the crate was a dog."

Howe kept the dead puppy in a locked crate in her garden, the court heard

Despite a microchip showing Howe was the dog's registered owner, she insisted it was not hers and that the RSPCA could "keep it", the court heard.

When asked about the dirty crate, Howe told the inspector the wind must have blown away a bag of faeces she had taken out to the shed and scattered the waste.

Photographs from the breeder were later recovered from Howe's mobile phone which showed Joey as "an alert puppy with a shiny coat".

“Joey was a tiny dog who wasn't even fully grown and she would have only required a small amount of nutrition to keep her alive,” Ms Proctor said.

She said food had not been provided and as she had been locked in the crate could not fend for herself.

Howe later pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal and was told she would not be able to contest the ban on owning animals for 10 years.

As part of the community order, she will have to carry out 25 rehabilitation activity requirement days.

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