A couple’s dog starved to death after not eating properly for at least a month with no food consumed for up to three days before he died.
The German Shepherd, which a postmortem revealed had died from severe emaciation, was in the care of Lee Derrett, 26, and 23-year-old Dielle Johnson.
They landed in the dock where the pair admitted culpability and causing unnecessary suffering to their pet named Blaze.
An examination of the dead dog revealed it had lost more than half its body weight – with faeces found to be caked into its fur and paws.
Aberdeen Sheriff Court heard that the cause of death was emaciation due to lack of food.
Blaze was only around a third of his healthy weight
Derrett, who was Blaze’s primary owner, was told he had only narrowly avoided a prison sentence for the central role he played in the dog’s suffering.
Johnson took Blaze to the vet following his death and was later deemed to have played a much lesser role in the animal’s demise.
Fiscal depute Brooklyn Shaw told the court that on December 1 last year, the SSPCA received the deceased dog after it was handed into the vets.
A postmortem examination was then carried out.
Blaze was found to be extremely emaciated, weighing approximately 13kg.
However, a dog of that size, sex and breed should have weighed 34-43kg.
Dead dog had ‘insufficient food for at least one month’
An external examination of the dog revealed he had experienced extensive muscle loss, with little muscle remaining.
His bones were visible – despite the medium length of the dog’s hair.
Faeces were found in Blaze’s fur and within each of his paws.
An examination of the dog’s stomach confirmed he had been receiving “insufficient food for at least one month” and “hadn’t eaten for 48-72 hours prior to his death”.
The cause of Blaze’s death was due to emaciation, the fiscal depute added.
In the dock, Derrett and Johnson pled guilty to one charge of causing unnecessary suffering by an act of omission by failing to provide necessary care and treatment to a dog.
Defending Derrett, his solicitor Lisa Reilly told the court that throughout the case her client had “presented as upset, which seems to be genuine”.
She went on: “He knows he has let his dog down. It was a lack of action from him.
“Mr Derrett was going through a difficult time last year, but there’s absolutely no excuse. He is disgusted by his behaviour. He simply did not do enough.”
‘I don’t think you needed to be a vet to recognise such a poor condition’
Johnson, who represented herself, made no mitigation in her own defence.
Sheriff James Mulgrew told Derrett that his culpability was greater than Johnson’s as “he was the owner of Blaze and so you had responsibility for him”.
“I don’t think you needed to be a vet to recognise that it must have been obvious that Blaze was in such a poor condition.
“A custodial sentence was very much in the court’s mind.”
Dog ban for one of the offenders
Addressing Johnson, the sheriff said he considered her role was far less significant than her former partner.
He noted that she had taken Blaze to the vet following his death.
“That being said, it is still a serious offence because there are other steps you could have taken.”
Sheriff Mulgrew banned Derrett, of Glenbervie Road, Aberdeen, from keeping dogs for ten years, imposed a community payback order and told him to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work.
He gave Johnson, of Dunvegan Avenue, Portlethen, three months to be of good behaviour and continued consideration of any dog ban until that time.
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