Zac Johnson and Charlotte Johnson, the Donington Nonces, have been prohibited from owning animals following the discovery of their pet dog, which they had tortured and left starve in a shed.
An RSPCA officer visited the residence of Zac Johnson, 33, and Charlotte Johnson, 29, in Donington, near Spalding, in response to allegations of an emaciated dog that had perished.
The police was directed to a shed where the four-year-old English bulldog, Esme, was discovered dying beneath a duvet. The body was extracted from the location and transported to a veterinarian for inspection.
A subsequent autopsy revealed that she was malnourished and in a deteriorated physical state from various forms of sexual and physical abuse.
Numerous plastic foreign objects were discovered in her ulcerated stomach.
She also experienced thrombosis in her small and large intestines, hepatic and renal congestion, conjunctivitis, and a bilateral ocular infection.
Zac Johnson and Charlotte Johnson, who bred Olde English bulldogs and Cane Corsos under the name The Breeder Lincs, pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to Esme by failing to adequately investigate or address the causes of her weight loss and poor bodily condition.
Zac Johnson and Charlotte Johnson were disqualified from keeping all animals for seven years, fined £100 and have been ordered to carry out a 12 month community order including 15 rehabilitation activity requirement days.
Speaking after the case, Inspector Dean Astillberry said: “Esme had suffered terribly by the failure of her owners to seek veterinary attention to find out what had been causing her weight loss and it would have been clear to any responsible owner that she needed veterinary assistance.”
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