A cruel man who beat and starved two dogs and didn’t look after four cute ones has been banned from keeping canines.
Ashleigh Hinde was handed a 26-week suspended prison sentence and banned from keeping animals for 15 years.
When RSPCA inspectors arrived at Hinde’s home in August last year, they found two adult Staffie-type dogs, Gypsy and Quinn, shut inside a tiny bathroom without any food or water.
Their ribs were clearly visible, and they were suffering from fur loss and flea infestations.
They also discovered four puppies crammed into a crate in the living room of the property in South Bank, Middlesbrough, lying in their own feces.
There were bags of rubbish strewn on the floor and barely any space to move, as reported by Need To Know.
RSPCA Officer Shane Lynn said: “Hinde showed me to the living room, where I observed a dog crate covered by a blanket.
“Inside were four puppies with no food or water available, sitting in their own feces, which was being squashed into the carpet below as the cage had no tray in the bottom.
“The living room was very untidy with bags of rubbish on the floor, a large amount of clothes on the floor, and the sofa was upturned with not much of the floor space visible and minimal room to move around.”
Hinde, 22, admitted that he had kicked and punched the adult dogs multiple times, claiming he was struggling with his mental health and felt “nothing but hatred towards them”.
He also told officers he wasn’t coping with looking after the animals and had wanted to keep one of the puppies while giving another to a friend.
All six dogs were seized and taken to receive urgent veterinary care.
The vet who examined them said Gypsy and Quinn were emaciated, flea-ridden, and had been suffering for at least a month due to a lack of food and untreated skin conditions.
The puppies had also been left in an unsanitary, dangerous environment without basic care.
An RSPCA spokesperson said: “Gypsy and Quinn were in a particularly distressing condition and had been subjected to an unacceptable level of violence.
“The defendant had failed to provide anything like an appropriate level of care for any of his dogs for some considerable time.
“I would like to thank those who provided information that helped us to proceed with this case.
“The pictures of Gypsy and Quinn looking happy and healthy are really heartwarming, and I’m so glad all of the dogs have gone on to find new homes.”
Hinde was sentenced at Teesside Magistrates’ Court on 23 September, after pleading guilty to two offenses under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
