WILLIAM ALLAN – KILMARNOCK

William Robert Purdie Allan, 21, from Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire starved a dog to death and left his emaciated body to rot on a balcony.

Father-of-two Allan was convicted of failing to meet the basic welfare needs of his bull breed-type dog called Bruce for several months.

Scottish SPCA (SSPCA) inspectors attended Allan’s residence on October 7, 2024, to investigate a report of concern about the welfare of a dog at the address.

The inspector said: “Upon entering the residence, it was quickly visible it was very unkempt. There were clutter and empty cans across the floors, and the living room had a very strong smell of ammonia. The room’s carpet was littered with dry dog food and faeces.

“We found the dog dead inside a crate in the balcony area; it was in very poor condition. It was extremely thin; its ribs and hip bones were clearly visible.

“It clearly had been victim of gross neglect. The owner chose to ignore the highly visible unacceptable physical state of the dog for months. These are not the actions of a caring, compassionate owner.”

Post mortem examination revealed Bruce had suffered from diffuse atrophy, most likely caused by starvation.

The condition of his bones and muscles showed that he had received insufficient food for at least one month but most likely more than two months. There was also evidence that he had not been fed anything for three days prior to his death.

He weighed just 18kg against a healthy weight for a dog of his breed and size of between 20 and 40kg.

Allan claimed the dog had been left with him by a relative of a partner and that he had tried to contact the owner but failed. He said he had been feeding Bruce but had woken one day and found him dead.

Speaking after the hearing, the SSPCA inspector said: “We are pleased with the sentencing. The suffering endured by the dog was unnecessary and avoidable, had the owner intervened earlier.

“Any responsible owner who lived alongside this dog in a home environment would have been gravely concerned for it given the conditions and would have sought professional advice immediately.

“The ailments affecting the dog were highly visible and would have been addressed routinely by any reasonably responsible person. This sentencing recognises the seriousness of that neglect.”

Sentencing | Allan was sentenced to a financial penalty of £1,575, but is serving the alternative of 45 days’ imprisonment due to failure to pay. 10-year ban.

Dog dies after owner starves him for several months