Couple admits guilt after nine-month-old puppies found starved to death in locked bathroom. One receives suspended sentence.
Investigators went to the house and smelled rotting flesh inside. They found two dead dogs in a bathroom; the door was blocked.
Martin Payne, 34, and Kirsty Burford, 32, admitted guilt, acknowledging they caused unnecessary suffering to the dogs between August and October 2023. The dogs were nine months old.
The couple did not feed the dogs enough, nor did they give them exercise, officials reported. The court learned the smell was terrible, and the dogs’ names were Trigger and Pablo. They were bull breed dogs.
The dogs suffered from hunger, a lack of water, and were neglected for a long time. Burford received a 20-week suspended jail sentence, suspended for a year, along with one year of supervision and rehabilitation for up to 15 days. Plus, she must pay £154 and £400.
The court also banned Burford from dog ownership for 15 years, with the possibility to appeal it after ten. The judge sent Payne’s sentence back for the magistrates to handle his case now.