Found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to a French bulldog
Marcel the French bulldog with a fractured leg. Picture: RSPCA
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A man has been convicted in his absence after police needed to take in an injured dog in Chiswick.
They removed the dog from a member of the public on 24 May 2019 and called RSPCA Inspector Callum Isitt.
He said, “Police thought the dog - a French bulldog called King - had a broken leg. I established that he’d been taken to a vet but the owner refused treatment for the injury, believed to have occurred around three to four days earlier.
“King walked with an obvious lameness. When standing, he raised his leg off the floor as if to keep his weight off of it, even though he was already receiving pain medication.
“The vet who had originally seen King said his owner had explained that he’d accidentally trod on him or kicked him and he’d fallen down the stairs. She said there was swelling to the dog’s foot and that he yelped when she touched it.
“She claimed the man became irritated when she explained that she couldn’t be sure whether it was soft tissue damage or a fracture without an x-ray and he refused to pay for an x-ray. She explained that King would need pain relief, would need an x-ray and would need to see another vet but his owner left and refused this treatment.”
32-year-old Saied Arab of Colnbrook Immigration Removal Centre, Harmondsworth was charged with one offence of causing unnecessary suffering under the Animal Welfare Act 2006. He was due to appear at Willesden Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday 2 February but failed to attend so magistrates heard the case in his absence and found him guilty.
A warrant has now been issued for his arrest and magistrates issued a deprivation order for King - who has remained in RSPCA care - meaning he can now be rehomed permanently.
King - now named Marcel - has been in a foster home since arriving in RSPCA care and will now be adopted by his foster family.
Marcel in a new home with his adoptive brother
RSPCA worker Lisa Stokes and her sister, Joanne, have been caring for Marcel. Lisa said, “Marcel loves to snooze with his Staffy brother, Ben, and go for long walks in the countryside. He was struggling to breathe and was unable to play so he recently had surgery to help with his breathing and he’s now fully recovered and doing really well. He’s very active and can now play and run.
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February 11, 2021
