A STARVING dog put on 40 per cent of her body weight in two months after being rescued by the RSPCA.
Rio, a seven-year-old German shepherd, was emaciated and had large bald patches in her fur due to a severe skin condition when she was discovered by the RSPCA and police in November 2010.
Her owners Kenny Bell, 49, and 47-year-old Julie Ann Taylor were each handed a suspended four-month prison sentence, given a two month curfew and ordered to pay £1,500 in costs.
The couple, of Lytton Strachey Path, Thamesmead, were sentenced at Bromley Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday (August 16).
Bell pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering and failing to provide veterinary attention while Taylor denied the charges but was found guilty.
RSPCA inspector Becky Timberlake, who discovered Rio and investigated the case, said: “It was immediately obvious this dog was emaciated and was suffering from a skin problem, so there was no excuse for not taking her for treatment by a vet.
“Rio responded really well to care and treatment. Just through correct feeding her body weight increased by 40 per cent in two months.”
She added: “It’s hoped that now Rio has been awarded to the RSPCA by the court, she will be found a good new home.”
Rio is being cared for at the RSPCA’s South Godstone animal centre.
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