An irresponsible dog owner whose pet endured “immense suffering” should have been given a lifetime ban on keeping animals, the SSPCA has suggested.
Luke Kildare, 40, chose not to take 18-week-old puppy Fatty to a vet for more than two hours after a car hit his German shepherd crossbreed.
He told the Scottish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SSPCA) that he “couldn’t afford” to get medical help for the injured animal, which “howled in pain”.
Kildare, an unemployed chef from Macduff who is currently in prison, admitted to a single charge of causing an animal unnecessary suffering and was fined £790.
But now, the SSPCA inspector who seized Fatty from his home and took him to get emergency treatment has criticised the court’s sentence.
‘We would have liked him to receive a ban’
SSPCA inspector Fiona Mckenzie said: “Although we’re glad that Kildare has received a fine, we would have liked him to receive a ban on keeping animals – due to the disregard he showed for Fatty’s well-being in this case.
“We hope he seriously reconsiders his ability to care for any animal in future,” the inspector added.
She revealed that Fatty – who endured a “horrendous start in life” – is now in a loving new home, thanks to the animal welfare charity.
But Fatty’s mother, who is still owned by Kildare, is being looked after by a friend and will be returned to him once he is released from HMP Grampian in August next year, at the earliest.
On February 1 2021, two separate people called the SSPCA’s hotline to report their concerns about Kildare’s puppy.
They both feared that he wouldn’t take Fatty to the vet after one of them witnessed the collision.
Worried neighbour heard ‘horrendous scream’
Inspector Mckenzie turned up to Fatty’s home at The Hythie, Macduff, where she took a call from Kildare’s worried neighbour who’d heard Fatty’s “horrendous scream”.
That woman had seen Kildare carrying the puppy while holding a tin of beer, a bag of shopping and trying to light a cigarette.
The Insp said: “Fatty was obviously injured and suffering immense pain. His right foreleg was extremely swollen from the elbow to toes.
“It was more than twice the size of the left foreleg. There was fresh blood on the injured leg, his toenails were broken and pads on the foot were scratched.
“Kildare had disregard for Fatty’s injuries, he inconsiderately went to touch the affected leg and the puppy screamed in pain.
“Kildare was reluctant to take his puppy for veterinary treatment or accept assistance from the SSPCA to arrange this so Fatty was removed to seek first aid treatment.”
‘Kildare’s failure caused puppy immense suffering’
A vet in Fraserburgh confirmed that Fatty’s right foreleg had been fractured as a result of being hit by the car more than two hours earlier.
“Fatty should have been seen by a vet immediately after the incident,” Inspector Mckenzie added.
“Kildare’s failure to seek veterinary treatment for Fatty undoubtedly caused this young puppy immense suffering.”
At Banff Sheriff Court, Sheriff Robert McDonald told Kildare: “I am satisfied this is not necessarily a case of you persistently neglecting an animal but more that you didn’t recognise that it needed veterinary treatment – whether you could afford it or not”.
Although he fined Kildare £790, the sheriff accepted that the offender could not pay the sum of money and substituted it with an alternative of 28 days’ imprisonment.
But the jail time will run concurrently with Kildare’s current sentence for another criminal offence, meaning he won’t spend any extra time locked up.
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