Two men guilty of 'prolonged period of neglect' of dogs used to guard Sheffield building site

By The Newsroom
Published 8th Aug 2018, 16:11 BST
Updated 13th Aug 2018, 11:29 BST
The compound where the dogs were being kept.The compound where the dogs were being kept.
The compound where the dogs were being kept.
Two men have been found guilty of neglecting three dogs used to guard a Sheffield building site.

Adrian Appleyard, 41, and Karl Harwood, 39, were found guilty in their absence at Sheffield Magistrates' Court on Wednesday of mistreating and failing to ensure the welfare of an Anatolian shepherd called Athena and two Caucasian shepherds called Koda and Sasha.

Andrew Davison, prosecuting, said the dogs were kept as guard dogs on a building site on Hollin Busk Lane, Deepcar and were left unattended between January 20 and January 23, prompting RSPCA inspectors to visit the site.

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Insp Kim Greaves, one of those who attended, told the court the dogs had been left in three shelters but the roof of one covering two of the dogs - Koda and Sasha - had blew off, leaving them exposed to 'bitterly' cold conditions and snow.

The dogs were malnourished.The dogs were malnourished.
The dogs were malnourished.

She said she first visited the site on Friday, January 19, following a call from a member of the public and when she returned on Monday, January 22, the set-up was exactly the same, with tape seals placed on the gates of the compounds by inspectors still in place.

Ms Greaves said: "The dog at the front (Athena) was brighter in herself but that's probably because we had been able to get food and water to her but the other two dogs, because I know the breed, we would expect them to be alert and guarding the site but they weren't.

"I was concerned because it was the first time I had seen these dogs in daylight. I made the decision to get a vet's assessment. It wasn't possible to get one on the Monday and it was forecast to be slightly warmer on the Tuesday so we delayed it to the Tuesday to give the owners the chance to do the right thing."

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Ms Greaves said she could see Athena's ribs quite clearly, indicating she was malnourished, and added that she thought the dogs had suffered a 'prolonged period of neglect'.

The dogs were left without shelter during 'bitterly cold' conditions in January.The dogs were left without shelter during 'bitterly cold' conditions in January.
The dogs were left without shelter during 'bitterly cold' conditions in January.

Fellow RSCPA inspector Jenny Ronksley said she visited the site on Saturday, January 20 and Sunday, January 21 and left business cards at the site requesting the owners to contact her, which they didn't.