A man who allowed puppies to live in a filthy home where birds were kept inside a cupboard has been handed a five-year animal ban.
Peter Percy, from North Shields, admitted failing to provide a suitable living environment for four Shar Pei type dogs, three pigeons, two budgies and a Kakariki bird, as well as failing to treat health conditions in a number of the animals.
It comes after the RSPCA was asked to investigate the condition of the animals at the property in Morwick Road by Northumbria Police.
When RSPCA Inspector Kirsty Keogh visited the house on December 9, 2023, she was immediately concerned for the welfare of the animals kept inside due to the condition of the property. In a witness statement she told Newcastle Magistrates’ Court that there was a “strong smell of faeces and urine” in the home and “a layer of trodden in faeces” on the floor.
Inspector Keogh said: “Mr Percy had to use a substantial amount of force to open the door to allow us inside due to the hazards and rubbish strewn behind the door and in the hallway.
“Upstairs, the floorboards were bare and there was a strong smell of faeces and urine. There was rubbish, bits of old bags, a discarded scooter and toaster, empty cans and bottles and other hazards strewn all over the floor. The floor had a layer of trodden in faeces and there was faeces all over every part of the rubbish.
“The kitchen was equally as dirty and my boots stuck to the floor when I walked. The benches in the kitchen were piled with rubbish.”
Peter Percy, from North Shields, admitted failing to provide a suitable living environment for four Shar Pei type dogs, three pigeons, two budgies and a Kakariki bird. He has been banned from keeping animals for five years
(Image: RSPCA)
The court heard that Inspector Keogh was shown a number of animals inside the property, including a Shar pei dog named Gypsy who appeared to have red, sore eyes, along with her three puppies, estimated to be 14 weeks old. One puppy appeared to have a large lump on her ear which Inspector Keogh found was hot to touch, a second puppy had a visible lump on his chin, and the third puppy appeared to have sore and irritated ears.
Percy confirmed to Inspector Keogh that he owned the animals and that they had not seen a vet recently. He gave permission for her to take the animals to a vet.
Inspector Keogh was shown further animals at the property by Percy, including three pigeons, two budgies and a Kakariki bird. Inside the sitting room, the pigeons were being kept in dog crates inside a cupboard.
She noted in her witness statement: “The area was dark, with no natural light, filthy and appeared to have not been cleaned in some time and the birds had no food or seed.”
The animals were removed from the property by Inspector Keogh and taken to a veterinary practice and then to private boarding facilities for further care.
The vet noted in their witness statement that Percy had failed to provide veterinary treatment for the animals, and this had caused unnecessary suffering, especially in two of the puppies and their mum.
They described the health condition of the dogs: “One of the male puppies presented with an otohaematoma (an accumulation of blood between the cartilage of the ear and the skin) in his left ear which didn’t look recent and it could have been already there for a few days or a week.
“The inflammation of the ear would have been causing pruritus (itching) and discomfort. The female puppy presented with a lump under her mandible (chin) and I suspected this could be an abscess. The mother dog presented with bilateral entropion, a condition that will cause chronic irritation of the eyes and surgery to correct the entropion needs to be considered.”
The animals were treated by the vet and made good recoveries. Percy, 31, of Morwick Road, North Shields, pleaded guilty to four Animal Welfare Act offences, proven in his absence.
He was given a 12 month Community Order with 20 Rehabilitation Activity Requirement days, and ordered to pay a fine of £120, a victim surcharge of £114, and costs of £250. The Magistrate disqualified Percy from owning dogs, birds and ferrets for five years, which he cannot contest for two years.