A midwife has been spared jail and given the chance to evade an animal welfare conviction over the condition of her ailing dog, who is described as “eaten alive by maggots”.
hloe Rogers, 25, of South Circular Road, Rialto, Dublin, pleaded guilty to a violation under the Animal Health and Welfare Act for neglecting her 14-year-old Japanese Spitz and causing unnecessary suffering on September 2, 2021.
She has been ordered to pay €3,000 in costs and a donation to charity.
Judge Anthony Halpin learned that the sick dog had been turned over to the Dublin Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (DSSPCA).
After the dog was taken, he vomited fresh blood. He had a large splenic tumor, bacterial infection and endocarditis and had to be euthanized, DSPCA veterinarian Elise O’Bryne White said.
The court heard that the maggot problem, which grew a millimeter a day, had started 16 days earlier.
After hearing evidence from the vet that maggots feed on the dog’s open wounds, Judge Halpin told prosecutor Matthew Holmes he didn’t want to see the photographic evidence.
“I wouldn’t be able to look at those pictures, that’s disgusting,” he said.
The violation can lead to a fine of up to € 5,000, a pet ban and a prison sentence of six months.
Attorney Fergal Boyle, who asked for leniency, said his client had never been in trouble before; she planned to move abroad and a conviction could affect her career.
Judge Halpin noted that she worked in a caring industry “and a dog was eaten alive by maggots”.
Mr Boyle said she panicked and tried to contact a vet before the dog was vomited.
Judge Halpin also noted the condition of the pet’s mats, adding “that doesn’t happen overnight”. He estimated that this case would have been a nine on a scale of one to ten because of the pain that “the poor animal” suffered.
However, he noted that she had no previous criminal convictions and warned her that she was given “one last chance”. He said to keep in mind that it doesn’t suit her and that she didn’t intentionally let her dog suffer like that.
He said he would apply the Probation of Offenders Act if she paid $1,500 for the prosecution costs. He also ordered her to donate the same amount to the Little Flower Penny Dinner charity to help underprivileged people in the Liberties area of central Dublin.
He provided her with legal assistance and adjourned the case until September.