Nelson man handed suspended prison sentence after four German Shepherds were found starving in filthy ‘cesspit’ home
A Lancashire man has been sentenced after four German Shepherds were found living in appalling conditions inside a property described by an RSPCA officer as the worst room he had ever seen.
Charles Bruce, of Nelson, pleaded guilty to two Animal Welfare Act offences after an investigation uncovered severely malnourished dogs living among faeces, urine and thick sludge.
Three surviving dogs — Bella, Tyson and Duke — were found in extremely poor condition, while the badly decomposed remains of another male German Shepherd were discovered inside a padlocked garden shed.
Bella, who was just three years old, was found collapsed and trembling on the kitchen floor. The room was almost completely dark and coated in a thick mixture of faeces and urine.
Her condition was so serious that rescuers initially feared she was dead.
RSPCA animal rescue officer Lee Ferrans said Bella was completely limp, with her jaw hanging open and her eyes rolling back. He said she was soaked in sludge and that the smell inside the property was unbearable.
Bella was rushed for emergency veterinary treatment, where her heart stopped and vets were forced to perform CPR.
She remained in a critical condition before eventually recovering.
Tyson and Duke were taken to the RSPCA’s Greater Manchester Animal Hospital. Tyson was underweight and covered in faeces, while Duke was in such poor condition that vets decided he had to be put to sleep to prevent further suffering.
Ferrans described the conditions inside the property as a “cesspit”, saying it stood out as the worst room he had encountered during his time working in animal rescue.
The surviving dogs were later rehabilitated. Tyson, who was renamed Monty, and Bella were cared for by the RSPCA Southport, Ormskirk & District Branch before both being successfully rehomed.
Staff said the dogs had been understandably traumatised by what they had endured and required weeks of care to rebuild their weight and health. Both are now reported to be thriving with their new families.
Bruce told officers he believed somebody else had been feeding the dogs while he was away from the property and said he had not been staying there because it had no gas or electricity. The court was also told he had been dealing with difficult family circumstances and poor mental health.
Bruce was given a 26-week prison sentence, suspended for two years.
He was also banned indefinitely from keeping any animals.
