An Aberdeen man has been handed a jail sentence for five months for badly neglecting his dog and her litter of six puppies – four of which had to be euthanised.
42-year-old Shaun McCourt, formerly of Ash-Hill Drive, Aberdeen, pled guilty to causing unnecessary suffering through failing to provide veterinary treatment or a suitable environment for his mastiff cross, Storm, and her six puppies, at Aberdeen Sheriff Court on 2 July 2024. He was also disqualified from keeping animals for five years.
Chief inspector, Fiona McKenzie, said “We attended a premises in Aberdeen on 16 September 2019 after being contacted by Police Scotland. They had been called to the property the previous evening for a separate matter and become concerned at the neglected state of the puppies and dog they discovered there.
“All six puppies were contained in the living room by a door which had been taken off its hinges and placed on its side blocking the doorway.
“The puppies were large bull breeds and of an age where they’d normally be away from their mother and littermates. All six had swellings on their bodies and one had an obvious injury to their eye.
“They were very excitable and playing very roughly with each other. The furniture in the room was destroyed and there were no dog toys or enrichment to occupy them so it was evident they were taking their energy and frustration out on the room and each other.
“Storm, the mother of the puppies, was shut in another room. She was very thin and all her ribs were visible. The smell of ammonia from the room was overpowering and she had obviously been toileting in there for some time. The floor was covered in faeces and dry dog food.
“The puppies were so big they had to be carried downstairs one at a time. Once outside they became very introverted and froze in place. We normally see this type of behaviour in animals who have never been outside before, so we believe the puppies had never left the confines of the property.
“On veterinary examination it was discovered that all of the puppies had horrific injuries that would have been causing them significant suffering. It is likely the puppies had inflicted all of these injuries on each other due to over stimulation and rough play.
“One puppy had a complete fracture of the jaw that would have been present for at least eight weeks, sadly this puppy had to be put to sleep on welfare grounds as the injury could now not be treated. Another puppy had to have an eye removed and there was another which was found to have two fractured limbs.
“Storm was found to be suffering from skin, eye and ear infections as well as being in overall emaciated condition.
“We are happy that McCourt has been imprisoned as this was a shocking case of neglect where these poor puppies sustained injuries that could impact them for the rest of their lives. Their injuries would have been obvious and any responsible pet owner would have sought veterinary treatment immediately.”
The two remaining puppies have since been rehomed.
