A dog rescued from a life in a cramped cage in a squalid house has found a new home - and looks like a different dog.
The pooch, who has been named Ruby by her new owner, was one of dozen of dogs seized by the RSPCA from a house in Carmarthenshire in October 2022 after inspectors found them living in filthy conditions without access to fresh air, veterinarian care, or a proper water supply. Many were living in small cages stacked on top of each other and had dirty and matted hair covered in dried faeces, and such was their state the RSPCA officers were at first unable to identify what breed they were or what sex they were. Some of the dogs also had untreated skin, eye, ear, and dental diseases, while the property itself had an "overwhelming" stench of urine and excrement in the air.
Last month Beverly Gilson, aged 64, and John Howard, aged 72, and both of Abernant, Carmarthen, were each sentenced to 15 weeks in prison suspended for nine months after pleading guilty to four offences under the Animal Welfare Act of failing to ensure the needs of animals. They were both also banned from keeping any animals for the next five years.
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One of the dogs rescued from the Carmarthenshire property was the dog now called Ruby - though she had no name while living with her previous owners. She was taken to a Maes Glas vets clinic where she was sedated so her matted and faeces-encrusted fur could be cut off, and vets removed an astonishing one kilo of filthy hair. She was also treated for fleas. And it seems that when practice manager Jayne Johns clapped eyes on her, it was love at first sight.
Jayne said: "I knew she had been signed over to the RSPCA, so I knew straight away that I wanted to adopt her officially. She just looked into my soul and I just knew. I just love her so much. I feel so emotional about the whole situation having seen the state of her and the situation of the others - and seeing how she is now."
Although Ruby is now happy in her loving home in Kenfig Hill she is still weary of people and situations. "She is a little bit broken," said Jayne. "She is still really weary. I just think we keep her clean, fed, watered, loved and she plays - and I just don’t understand how people can do that with animals. When we spayed her and got her the dental treatment she needed they estimated she was aged between two and three. She can be quiet but she can also zoom about too!"
In December Swansea Crown Court heard how RSPCA inspectors visited the isolated property of Gilson and Howard in October 2022 and found a "large number of dogs" being kept inside. While some of the dogs were free to roam the rooms many were kept in cages covered in faeces, and in some cases the cages were stacked one upon the other. The court heard the inspectors noted the cages were small, and that in one small rodent cage they saw a dog "spinning" around with little room to do anything else. Water for some of the cages was being provided by the kind of "drip feed" bottles seen on rabbit cages which were inadequate for the needs of a dog. For the latest court reports, sign up to our crime newsletter here
The court heard much of the property was dark, the floors were covered in faeces, and there was an "overwhelming" smell of faeces and urine in the air. One RSPCA inspector with more than two decades experience reported that the smell in one of the rooms was the worst he had encountered in his career and bad enough to make him gag. The court heard it was clear from the inspection of the property that the dogs lived their lives inside, and had no access to fresh air, and were "not able to express normal behaviour patterns". A total of 48 dogs including poodles, Japanese chins, rough collies, Pekingese, chihuahuas, shih tzus, and cross-breeds were rescued in the operation, along with one cat.
RSPCA deputy chief inspector Gemma Cooper said the case of Rugby was one she would never forget. She said: "Ruby is just the cutest dog ever and I'm delighted she has found her forever home with the most amazing person. Jayne is such a dedicated fosterer and we really appreciate everything she does for us and those rescued animals in need she takes in who desperately need a safe home environment. Ruby’s rescue will be one of those cases in which I will never forget. When we first saw her she was in a house full of dogs - with many of them being kept in cages. There was faeces and urine everywhere. Ruby was found in a cage and when we took her out, we couldn’t tell what breed she was - or even if she was male or female due to her severe matted fur. We’d very much like to thank Maes Glas Vets for their help in treating many of the dogs involved in this case."
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