Family caused flea-ridden pets 'serious suffering'

Janina Booker left a medical collar on her dog Blade for more than 18 months

Three members of a family who failed to treat their pets for severe fleas have been handed suspended prison sentences and banned from keeping animals.

Janina Booker, her daughter, Emma, and brother, Darren Ambleton, each pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering and failing to take reasonable steps to protect their pets from pain.

Their dog, Blade, and cats, Charlie and Benny, had endured "prolonged, serious and excessive suffering", Barnsley Magistrates' Court heard.

A vet who treated the animals said the fleas would have been "painfully obvious to any passer-by, let alone any kind of owner".

RSPCA inspector Vanessa Reid said when she attended the family's home in Standhill Crescent, Barnsley, in October, Blade had tried to greet her while "simultaneously nibbling and scratching as his skin".

"In my seven-year career, I have never seen a dog so agitated and annoyed by fleas," she said.

"I asked [Janina] Booker and Ambleton if they were aware of fleas being present. He said yes, whilst she said no at exactly the same moment.

"Booker then conceded that she did know, and they had been bathing him in some flea shampoo to get rid of them."

A vet said the fleas would have been "painfully obvious" to anyone who saw the dog

Booker later told Ms Reid she had put a medical cone on the dog in March 2023, more than a year and a half earlier, to prevent him from scratching his ears.

The cats had also suffered "obvious fur loss" across their bodies, and Charlie, the lighter of the two, was "heavily stained with urine" according to the inspector.

As the animals' skin worsened over a number of months, it would have been "plainly obvious" to the owner that vet care was needed, she added.

The cats were also not in a healthy state, the vet said

The animals were signed over to RSPCA care and have made a good recovery, the charity said.

Blade and Charlie have been rehomed while Benny is waiting to be adopted.

Janine Booker, 53, Emma Booker, 31, and Ambleton, 51, were each given a two-month jail sentence suspended for one year.

They were also each ordered to pay costs of £400 plus a £154 victim surcharge following a hearing at at Barnsley Magistrates' Court.

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