Jail for Birmingham man who kept starving dogs in squalid kennels
A Birmingham 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 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.
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 (2014) 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 faeces covered kennel.
During sentencing on Friday (11 July) the district judge recognised 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, faeces 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 ?oors with just a strip of bed sheet to lie on.They were forced to live among urine and faeces 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.”
“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 recognised 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.
Notes to editors:
- Picture 1 shows the four puppies in the kennel
- Picture 2 shows one of the puppies after they were rescued from the property, while picture 3 shows him happy and healthy just before he was rehomed
- Picture 4 shows Bomber, after he was rehabilitated by RSPCA Birmingham Animal Centre
- For more images please contact the press office
- The new owner of one of the puppies (Alex) is available for interview. If you would like to speak to them please contact the RSPCA press office on 0300 123 0244/0288
RSPCA, Wilberforce Way, Southwater, Horsham, West Sussex RH13 9RS
Press office direct lines: 0300 123 0244/0288 Fax: 0303 123 0099
Duty press officer (evenings and weekends) Tel 07825 158490
Email: press@rspca.org.uk Website: www.rspca.org.uk
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