Annasha McCarthy – Swansea

A woman from south Wales who starved a bulldog to death has been banned from keeping animals for life after a prosecution by the RSPCA.

Annasha McCarthy, 28, from Mayhill, Swansea, pleaded guilty to failing to investigate the causes of her dog’s loss of weight under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.

As well as the disqualification, the defendant was handed a four-month prison sentence which was suspended for 18 months when she appeared for sentencing at Swansea Magistrates’ Court on July 2.

As part of the order she was told to complete 15 Rehabilitation Activity Requirement (RAR) days as well as 100 hours of unpaid work.

The court heard how the emaciated three-year-old bulldog called Chico was already dead when he was presented at a vets in Swansea on October 20 last year.

He had lost more than half his body weight in nine months.

While posting ‘loving’ posts about Chico on Facebook, McCarthy was actually knowingly starving the poor dog to death by purposely not feeding it.

The dog was microchipped and RSPCA Inspector Jemima Hanks-Martin made contact with the defendant, who admitted responsibility for the canine although he had been registered under her ex-partner’s name.

A vet who examined Chico’s body stated that his rating on a body condition score was one out of nine, where five is an ideal weight and a score of one is considered to be an emaciated state.

The bulldog weighed only 10.9kg and his skeletal structure was clearly visible because of the lack of body fat and muscle.

Records at the same veterinary practice where Chico was registered showed his weight had tumbled by 11.3kg since his last appointment for a health check on January 30 last year.

The vet concluded that Chico was starved for at least a month leading up to his death.

The District Judge who sentenced McCarthy told her that she had failed to act and allowed the dog to starve to death, but he noted that the defendant’s “fear of being judged and a lack of finances” had contributed to her inaction.

McCarthy was told to pay court costs of £150.