A Rotherham woman who allowed two dogs to starve to death in her home has been convicted of four offences in her absence and a warrant has been issued for her arrest.
Tara Bridges, of Beaconsfield Road, failed to attend Sheffield Magistrates’ Court yesterday afternoon, Tuesday 7 August.
IT’S BEYOND BELIEF THAT SOMEONE COULD LIVE IN A HOUSE WITH AN ANIMAL AND NOT FEED THEM TO THE POINT THAT THEY DIE.
The case was heard in her absence and she was found guilty of two counts of causing unnecessary suffering and two of failing to meet the needs of the poodle crosses under the Animal Welfare Act.
The RSPCA attended Bridge’s house on 30 January this year where Lila and Moxy’s bodies were found shut in the kitchen/dining room. The two dogs died between 10 and 15 days apart.
RSPCA inspector Sandra Dransfield said, “This was a very upsetting case to deal with but you have to go into investigation mode and do what you need to do in situations like this.
“It was clear from the way that she looked that Lila, who was on the sofa, had been dead for some time longer than Moxy, who was on the floor behind the door, and that was confirmed by the veterinary evidence.
“It’s distressing to think about what those days were like for Moxy – 10 to 15 of them according to the veterinary evidence – being in that room with her dead friend before eventually succumbing to starvation herself. The post-mortems found that Moxy had died three to seven days before I got there, and no other reason was found for their deaths except a lack of food.
“It’s beyond belief that someone could live in a house with an animal and not feed them to the point that they die.”