Three-legged Dachshund is now loving life as his former Leigh owner is given an animal ban

A Wigan woman who left her dog with an untreated broken leg for two weeks has been banned from keeping animals for five years.

Dachshund Gucci was found locked in a soiled crate by RSPCA officers after being repeatedly left on his own for prolonged periods of time at a property in Golborne.

The untreated fracture had been left for so long that Gucci had to have his leg amputated as a result. He made a good recovery and has now been rehomed by the RSPCA’s Southport, Ormskirk & District Branch.

At a sentencing hearing at Tameside Magistrates Court, Diane Anderson, 33, now of Walmsley Meadow Road in Leigh, was disqualified from keeping animals for five years and given a 12-month community order after being found guilty in her absence at an earlier hearing of two animal welfare offences. She was also ordered to pay £845 in costs and a £40 fine.

Magistrates heard an RSPCA officer first went to Anderson’s former address in Sycamore Avenue in Golborne on October 15 last year after the charity had received calls about the welfare of a young dog living there.

Barking was heard inside but there was no reply, so the officer started the usual abandonment process, sealing the front and back doors with tape and markers to prove if anyone was entering. They were still intact when another visit was made by the charity the following day.

On October 17 another RSPCA officer was able to make contact with Anderson. She stated she had been doing night shifts and must have been asleep or at work which is why she hadn’t previously answered the door.

She agreed to a welfare visit being carried out to check on Gucci, but when the officer went round the following day for the pre-arranged appointment there was no answer.

Further seals and markers were placed on the doors and on October 20 a warrant was carried out with the police after it became evident that Anderson was not attending the property.

RSPCA inspector Jess Pierce, said: “I entered the back door after the police and observed a Dachshund-type dog locked in a crate in the kitchen. There was a smell of ammonia.

“The dog had a bowl which was empty, and there were blankets in there which appeared urine-soaked. The dog appeared to me to be underweight and I could see the outline of the hip bones, ribs and spine.

“I could immediately see that the dog appeared uncomfortable with one of his back legs. I could tell something was wrong by the way he walked and held the leg.”

The court was told Gucci was seized as evidence by the police. Anderson then arrived at the property and suggested they go inside so she could discuss what had happened.

Insp Pierce added: “We went to the front door and she put her key in it and through the tape which was over the lock.

“When she opened the door all of the card markers fell out and the tape ripped. As I entered, there was a pile of post on the floor, including notices left by my colleagues on previous days.”

Gucci was immediately taken to a vet by the RSPCA where he was given a low body condition score and ate ravenously when offered food.

On examination he was found to have an abnormal gait on his right hind leg and was shivering and tense when the area was examined.

X-rays were carried out with Anderson’s consent which showed a femoral fracture of his right hind leg.

In her written evidence to the court the vet said: “The radiographs revealed a broken femur and a partial dislocation of part of the ankle joint.

“Both these injuries have been caused secondary to trauma. I cannot be certain if they were caused during the same incident or not.

“Based on the radiographs, Gucci’s injuries occurred around two weeks prior to presentation and he will have been suffering from pain throughout this period.

“It requires considerable force to disrupt the structure of a bone and cause it to break or fracture.

“Due to the time lapsed between the injuries and presentation I cannot be certain if they were caused intentionally or via accidental trauma, for example a road traffic collision or a fall from height.

“Regardless of how they occurred, Gucci should have been taken for veterinary assessment much sooner.”

Anderson gave her consent for Gucci’s leg to be amputated and the operation was successfully carried out at an RSPCA animal hospital on October 27.

He was then transferred to the charity’s Southport, Ormisk & District Branch where he spent time in a foster home recuperating and recovering from his operation.

In her interview with the RSPCA, Anderson said there was one occasion in October when Gucci was playing on the bed. She said he fell off backwards but his legs felt ok afterwards and he appeared uninjured.

She said he was always jumping around so she confined him to a cage when she wasn’t home, but she denied leaving him overnight, claiming she was putting the seals back on the door in exactly the same place as RSPCA officers had left them.

Gucci has now been adopted and is said to “rule the roost” in his new home, where he has other dogs for company. His new family have custom-built him ramps to help him get onto the sofa and renamed him Billy.

After sentencing RSPCA Insp Pierce said: “This little dog’s welfare had been severely compromised and he had suffered for several weeks.

“He was being left for prolonged periods of time in a soiled crate without adequate food and water, and his owner failed in her duty to give him the minimum expected standards of care, which included taking him to a vet when he was visibly in pain.

“Like most dogs, Billy has adapted remarkably well to life with three legs and, thanks to the brilliant team at our Southport rehoming centre, he has found a wonderful home where he is much-loved and thriving.”