A Stockton man, William Hayden, is jailed for starving his Staffy, Flushe, leading to its death. He buried the dog in his garden.
He neglected two dogs, Flushe and Tasia. They were Staffordshire Bull Terriers. This went on for at least six weeks. Flushe had leather in his stomach after he died, and a vet thinks starvation caused Flushe’s death.
The court sentenced Hayden to ten months in jail on January 27th. He also cannot own animals for ten years. He’s 43 years old and lived on Petch Street.
The RSPCA checked on Hayden’s home with police in January 2023 because people were concerned about the dogs. No one answered the door, so police helped them enter. They saw dog food and a crate, but no dogs were there. Someone had taken Tasia, and Flushe was buried under a sofa in the backyard.
Flushe was very skinny before he died, and Tasia also looked very thin when found. You could see her bones, and she seemed nervous too. After being rescued, Tasia gained weight.
Hayden went to the police station himself and showed them videos of the dogs. The videos were from December 2022, and the dogs looked thin, even while eating. He said he tried to treat them for fleas and worms.
Hayden claimed someone else cared for the dogs while he was in the hospital. He said Flushe died and was buried then. They dug up Flushe’s body for an examination.
The vet said Flushe’s body had no medical reason for being thin. They found leather in his stomach, and his digestive system was almost empty. The vet believed starvation killed Flushe, saying it took weeks to become that thin, even with some food.
Furthermore, the vet thinks the dogs suffered from a lack of food for at least six weeks. Tasia weighed 13.25kg and was underweight with a very low body condition.
Hayden told the RSPCA that the dogs ate well, saying he fed them better than himself. He knew he could have done more for them, and he claimed mental health issues affected him.
Hayden pleaded guilty to animal cruelty for not feeding Tasia and Flushe properly between December 2022 and January 2023. Inspector Lynch said the dogs suffered greatly, and it was too late to save Flushe. Fortunately, Tasia improved quickly with proper care and nutrition.