Horrific body-cam footage captured the moment police discovered a faeces-filled house of horrors where a dog was left to starve.
Officers visited the property belonging to Anya Shears, 23, after noticing a large dog in the living room that had bare flooring, a dirty dog’s bed with no stuffing and dog faeces all over the floor. Police suspected the dog was being neglected and reattended the address on the following day.
Upon arrival at the property in July last year, Shears and Tyler Thornton, 25, were arrested on suspicion of causing unnecessary suffering to the dog under section 4 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006. A search of the addresses located a large, emaciated dog living in just one room with no furniture, carpets or proper food.
Police said it was clear Shears and Thornton were living upstairs in the property and ‘were not providing sufficient care for the animal’. The dog was taken to a kennels where he was examined by a vet who found him to be in very poor condition and severely underweight, almost to the point of anorexic, with overgrown nails and matted, patchy fur.
Sadly, the dog was put to sleep. Shears and Thornton, both of Carleton Hall Walk, Penrith, admitted to causing the unnecessary suffering of an animal by failing to care for a dog at their property. They were given a five-year animal disqualification order at Carlisle Magistrates Court on Tuesday (December 31) and were also sentenced for a separate possession of cannabis offence.
Body-cam footage shared by Carlisle Police today (January 2) shows police searching the property with the officer voicing his disgust at the conditions. He can be heard saying: “Ugh, get some air in here.”
The smell was so bad officers had to go outside
PC Stewart Green, Eden Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “This was an awful and shocking case of animal neglect. Shears and Thornton failed a dog in their care, leaving him unsocialised, unexercised, hungry and dirty.” He then steps outside into the back garden where he can be hard to cough.
“I hope this goes to show just how seriously we take cases of animal cruelty and neglect, and we will always strive to bring offenders before the courts.”
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