Ad Blocker Detected
Our website is made possible by displaying online advertisements to our visitors. Please consider supporting us by disabling your ad blocker.
A metal vegetable steamer covered in blood and an ax were found at the site where a Terrier Cross dog was beaten and left with shocking wounds.
Ted the Terrier was found with a dislocated hip and multiple bruises when RSPCA inspectors participated in a report that a dog was beaten in Harrogate.
Two men have now been sentenced to 18 weeks in prison, suspended for 18 months and banned from keeping animals for ten years following prosecution initiated by the RSPCA.
Russell Marriner 56 and William Thomas Marriner 20, both of St. Patrick’s Way, Harrogate, appeared in Harrogate Magistrates’ Court on Friday, March 5th.
The father and son were released on bail after being found guilty of absenteeism when they failed to appear at an earlier hearing.
Both were each exposed to two animal welfare offenses, including injuring their dog, Ted, and failing to ensure that he received adequate veterinary care for his injuries.
RSPCA inspector Nikki Cheetham, who led the investigation for the animal rights group, visited her home with the police after receiving a call about a dog that was beaten.
The court heard them knock loudly on the front door, but apart from a single bark there was no answer.
They could see a small white terrier-type dog huddled behind the door and red stains on the laminate floor that looked like blood.
Ted was badly injured and crouched in fear when officers found him
Insp Cheetham said, “The police finally managed to wake a man who eventually opened the door and it was immediately apparent that the little dog named Ted was badly injured.
“He was covered in dried blood and had a significant wound on the top of his head.
“Both men claimed Ted attacked them, but neither could show any injuries.”
The officers found other blood stains all over the living room, including a blood-covered metal vegetable steamer, an ax, and blood smeared on a cardboard box.
These items were confiscated as evidence and Ted was taken into the custody of the RSPCA.
Insp Cheetham said, “Ted couldn’t put any weight on his right hind leg so I picked him up and carried him to my van.
“When we got to the vets, Ted was crouched in the back of the kennel.
“It took me a few minutes to gain his trust.”
During the exam, Ted was nervous but not aggressive despite the pain, and he lay down with his head on the exam table.
Veterinarians found that Ted had bruises on his upper lip, a broken tooth and a wound on his gums, and bruises on his tongue, left eye and auricle in both ears.
After cutting off his fur, the vet found small, circular wounds that matched the pattern of holes on the blood-smeared metal vegetable steamer.
X-rays also showed Ted had a dislocated hip.
The veterinary report states: “The injuries sustained, in my opinion, are consistent with bodily harm and severe trauma with blunt force.
“It takes a lot of force to move the hip. This is an extremely painful injury that, in some cases, may require hip replacement surgery and long-term complications.
“In addition to the physical pain, Ted suffered from anxiety.
“He was nervous around people and it took my colleagues and me time and care to build trust with him.
“The injuries sustained were severe, painful and caused a lot of suffering.”
In the days that followed, Ted was rested to maximize the chance that his hip would stay in place and to avoid the need for hip replacement surgery.
He needed a great deal of pain relief before he was released into the care of the RSPCA to continue his recovery.
In court it was defused that due to the health problems of the Marriners and the fact that none of the accused had previously been convicted, a prison sentence would not be appropriate.
Ted is now happy in a loving home
In addition to decades of disqualification and suspended sentences, both were ordered to participate in a six-month alcohol treatment program.
Russell Marriner was further sentenced to a 40-day rehabilitation requirement and William Marriner was sentenced to a 25-day rehabilitation requirement.
Both men had to pay a cost of £ 700 and a sacrifice surcharge of £ 122.
Ted has since found a new home at the RSPCA’s York Animal Center, where he receives the love and attention he deserves.
Finished taking notes
