Derry duo sentenced after little Yorkshire Terrier dog found dead of starvation

Two people have been banned fror life from keeping animals after a dog died of starvation and another was found under a kitchen table .

Gwen and Christopher McCarter from Derry were sentenced at the Derry Departmental Court on Thursday March 18, having previously been convicted of causing unnecessary suffering to a dog, failure to ensure the welfare of two dogs and abandoning the two dogs, in and around January 19, 2018.

The complaint was brought against Gwen and Christopher McCarter by Derry City and Strabane District Council under the Welfare of Animals Act (NI) 2011.

Proceedings followed an investigation by the Council’s Animal Welfare Officers, following a complaint received that two dogs had been abandoned.

Animal Welfare Officers visited Gwen and Christopher McCarter’s former property and found two dogs inside the kitchen of the property in the Waterside.

One dog, a Yorkshire terrier type dog was dead. The dog was very dirty, matted and very thin.

The second dog, a terrier, was still alive under the kitchen table and appeared quite thin.

The kitchen in the house was covered in faeces and urine. There were two bowls on the ground, one had two pieces of hard food and the other empty. There was moulded food on the work surfaces, out of the reach of the dogs.

The dead dog subsequently underwent a post-mortem and it was confirmed by a Council instructed vet that the dog died of starvation, and confirmed that the other dog was likely to suffer if circumstances did not change, had it not been for the intervention of the Council Animal Welfare Officers.

The Judge in the case imposed a four month custodial sentence suspended for two years on both parties and disqualified them from keeping any animals for their lifetime.

The care costs amounted to £2222.33 and each defendant was ordered to pay costs totalling £1111.16 each and also legal fees of £200 each.

Anyone in the Derry City and Strabane District Council area with any animal welfare concerns should call 028 8225 6226 or email: [email protected]

Information in relation to Animal Welfare is available on www.derrystrabane.com and on www.nidirect.gov.uk/animal-welfare.