An Aberdeen dog owner is facing prison after he admitted to keeping puppies in cramped and squalid conditions.
Shaun McCourt’s six Mastiff-cross puppies were found living in urine and faeces inside an address on Ash-hill Drive.
A vet who examined the little dogs found serious bone deformities, with one in such a poor condition that it had to be euthanised immediately.
The vet stated that she had “never seen puppies in such a bad bodily condition”.
Sheriff Robert Frazer warned 42-year-old McCourt that “all options will be open to the court” when he returns for sentencing.
Puppies had no room to move around
Fiscal depute Emma Petersen told the court that police were called to the home and found a Mastiff named Storm and her six puppies in a neglected state.
The puppies were in the living room of the two-bedroom property, which had the door removed and placed sideways across the threshold to prevent them escaping.
The dogs were estimated to be around five months old and acting “very boisterous”.
Many puppies suffered bone fractures that were still present or healed in abnormal ways to create bone deformities.
The puppies seemed to be very excited by the presence of the SSPCA officer, Ms Petersen said.
They formed the opinion that the puppies had never left the property.
It was stated that the makeshift pen was deemed unsuitable as they had “little to no room”.
Puppies had numerous ailments
The SSPCA officer added that the room where the puppy’s mother, Storm, was kept smelled strongly of ammonia and the kitchen of the property was in an unkempt state with dog food all over the floor.
When examined by a vet, the animals were found to have various ailments and infections.
One puppy had suffered a jaw fracture that was so bad it had to be euthanised immediately on welfare grounds.
Another suffered a fracture of its upper incisor, resulting in its gums being infected and inflamed.
A third puppy had an infection from what looked like a puncture wound, alongside fractures where the bones had healed the wrong way creating leg deformities.
The vet who examined the dogs said she had “never seen puppies in such a bad bodily condition”.
“Each one had something worse than the other,” Ms Petersen said, quoting the vet.
“The injuries were so severe that the person would have been fully aware that they were in pain,” she added.
‘Extremely distressing’
During a police interview, McCourt admitted owning the dogs and said he had “owned dogs all his life had always looked after them”.
He then refused to give the puppies over to the SSPCA.
In the dock, McCourt pleaded guilty to three charges of causing an animal unnecessary suffering.
He also admitted two charges of failing to provide a suitable environment for a dog and her six puppies by exposing them to urine, faeces and unhygienic conditions.
His defence solicitor Tony Burgess reserved mitigation until McCourt’s sentencing date.
Sheriff Robert Frazer told McCourt: “The information I have received today is extremely distressing,
“All options will be open to the court.”
Sheriff Frazer deferred sentence on McCourt, of Hogarth Walk, Kirkdale, Liverpool, until June 4 this year in order for a criminal justice social work report to be carried out.
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