Dog News

Jail for man who kept starving dogs in squalid kennels

by Karen Harrison Binette

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The four puppies in the kennel at Mushtaq’s home.

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A Birmingham, UK man has been jailed after he kept dogs and puppies in squalid kennels and left a dog with fighting injuries to suffer.

Shabad Mushtaq, 39, of Morley Road, Ward End, was sentenced last month to 20 weeks in custody and banned from keeping dogs for 10 years after he failed to ensure his dogs were being kept in a suitable and hygienic environment and failed to provide them with an adequate diet and access to water.

He also pleaded guilty to the charge he caused unnecessary suffering to one dog, Paula, after he did not take her to receive veterinary care for injuries she received from fighting.

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One of the puppies after the rescue.

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RSPCA inspectors first visited Mushtaq’s property in October 2013 and found five pit-type dogs being kept in squalid kennels who they then removed from the property.

When they later revisited the address in Ward End, Birmingham, in April they found Mushtaq had four puppies who were being kept in horrific conditions and were starving and dehydrated after they had been left with no access to food or water and just a strip of bed sheet to lie on in their urine and feces covered kennel.

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The same puppy as above, happy and healthy, shortly before he was rehomed.

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During sentencing on July 11 the district judge recognized that a total of nine dogs had “suffered at Mushtaq’s hands” and had clearly been neglected over a sustained period.

Sadly one of the dog’s, Pippa, had a skin condition deemed to be so severe by a vet that she was put to sleep and a further three of the dogs had to be put to sleep under the DDA. The remaining dog, Bomber, and four puppies have gone on to find loving new homes.

Speaking after the case RSPCA chief inspector Ian Briggs said: “These dogs and puppies were being kept in horrific conditions.

“When our inspector first went to investigate in 2013 the kennels the five adult dogs were being kept in were damp, unprotected from the elements and with dirt, feces and urine everywhere. There was no food left out for these dogs and no water down for them to drink. It amounted to prolonged neglect.

“When we returned in April, we found the defendant had gone on to get four new dogs, all puppies, but the neglect was exactly the same.

“Again, the kennels these dogs were being kept in were in a horrific state. The smell was unbelievable. The puppies were living on concrete floors with just a strip of bed sheet to lie on.They were forced to live among urine and feces and because of this their fur was stained and they had sores on the bottom of their pads.

“All the puppies were undernourished, two were extremely emaciated and they were dehydrated.”

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Bomber, after he was rehabilitated by RSPCA Birmingham Animal Centre
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“The district judge acknowledged that it was obvious from her numerous scars that Paula had been involved in dog fighting and that would’ve been apparent to the defendant. Poor Paula would have suffered great pain from those injuries and needed Mushtaq to get veterinary treatment for her – which sadly he never did.

“The older dogs were typical status dogs and had been treated appallingly. All these dogs had been treated terribly and we are pleased this has been recognized by the courts.

“We dread to think what would’ve happened to these animals if we hadn’t stepped in.”

Thanks to the loving care of RSPCA Hull and East Riding all four puppies – Alex, Hannah, Becky and Amy – are enjoying life and thriving in their new homes.

Bomber, the only surviving adult dog from the case, was used as a status dog by Mushtaq and had his ears removed at some point in his life. But thanks to hard work and care from staff at RSPCA Birmingham Animal Centre he too has recovered from his ordeal and also found a new home.