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Dog Owner Gets Ban on Pets
A Black Country dog owner who failed to get his pet treated for an open wound has been banned from keeping animals for 10 years and ordered to pay court costs of more than 3,400.
Stephen Bayliss, aged 40, was also sentenced to 200 hours community service yesterday to be completed within 12 months after the court heard his labrador cross had developed a bleeding ulcerated growth.
The self-employed mechanic, of Lichfield Road, Walsall Wood, admitted four counts of causing unnecessary suffering to animals between March and April this year.
James Cooper, prosecuting on behalf of the RSPCA, told Walsall Magistrates Court that Bayliss failed to take 14-year-old Sam to be treated for a growth on his side and for an ear infection.
He had also failed to get treatment for another dog, nine-year-old George, which also suffered a chronic ear infection.
He told the court a vets report stated Sam was under-weight and had scored two on a condition scale of one to five.
Mr Cooper said that during his interview Bayliss admitted to investigators he knew the dogs had suffered, but he was scared to take them to the vet. Both dogs have since made a full recovery.
Mr Brij Choudhury, defending, told the court Bayliss had given up work to look after his mother, who had been diagnosed with cancer, but then ran into financial trouble.
