Ryan Seel and Debbie Slater (pictured below) from Blackpool have been banned from keeping all animals for ten years after three Jack Russell Terriers were found to be emaciated following a visit to their Peter Street home. There were six dogs in the property at the time of the visit, and all needed immediate veterinary treatment.
Blackpool Magistrates Court heard that three of the six dogs were said to be within 24 hours of dying. The vet who examined them explained that all six had not had their dietary needs met for a considerable length of time, causing them physical and mental stress. Three of the dogs were fully emaciated, with not only no body fat but severe loss of muscle as well.
It was on Thursday 15th December, 2022 that two environmental protection officers from the local authority visited Seel and Slater’s property on Peter Street. They had been notified of noise and welfare concerns about a dog that was being left out in the couple’s back garden for long periods of time.
Describing this visit, one of the officers told the Court that Seel, ‘showed us into the house and, as we walked through the hallway into the dining room, I noticed the Jack Russells running round. I immediately noticed that they were looking underweight. I turned and looked into the living room and there was a lady sitting on the couch and she was holding another two Jack Russells that also looked underweight. I asked them what was going on and their response was there was nothing wrong with the dogs.
The man then let us pick up one of the Jack Russells and you could see her ribs and hip bones. He explained that they had changed their food as they had lost a bit of weight and he said the one that he was holding had been to the vets. I asked him when this was and he replied two years ago. I explained that as soon as they noticed the dogs dropping weight, they should have taken them to the vets straight away.’
As a consequence, the dogs were removed from the house for urgent veterinary treatment.
The RSPCA was contacted and took appropriate action which led to the Court case. Thanks to the RSPCA, the six Jack Russell Terriers, named Jack, Sasha, Angel, Coraline, Junior and Jazz, have now made a full recovery and have since been rehomed.
In Court, Seel and Slater admitted not only causing unnecessary suffering to the three dogs but also failing to meet the needs of six pets in their home.
In addition to a ten-year ban on keeping all animals, 28-year-old Seel was handed a twelve month community order, ten rehabilitation activity requirement days and one hundred hours of unpaid work. 34-year-old Slater was sentenced to a twelve month community order and ten rehabilitation activity requirement days plus a four month curfew between the hours of 9 p.m. and 7 a.m. Both defendants were also told to pay a £114 surcharge and £300 in costs.
