Leeds woman banned from keeping animals after neglecting dog with chronic skin condition and ear infection
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Abigail Barker, 32, of Raylands Way in Leeds, left her female French bulldog Cookie with what a vet described as "severe" skin lesions and a chronic bilateral ear infection.
Cookie also suffered from extensive fur loss on her face and body which had been made worse by her scratching and itching the diseased areas.
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Barker was given a seven-year ban at a sentencing hearing at Kirklees Magistrates Court on January 3 after being found guilty of two Animal Welfare Act offences at a trial following an investigation and prosecution by the RSPCA.
The court was told that RSPCA Animal Rescue Officer (ARO) Kris Walker had gone to Barker's house on January 12 last year to check on the welfare of a dog living there.
In his written evidence to the court, Mr Walker said: “I saw a fawn female French bulldog type dog named Cookie in the kitchen area of the property.
"She appeared to be a good body weight, and was bright and alert, however, she had an obvious skin condition.
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Hide Ad"There was hair loss over her back, her skin was sore on her feet and they were red and swollen.


“Miss Barker advised that she had previously attended the PDSA with Cookie as she had mange, but once the skin condition came back she did not return.”
The court was told that Baker, who had previously treated Cookie with various over-the-counter remedies, was given an improvement notice by the officer and warned that she must take Cookie back to see a vet.
Mr Walker visited again in February 2024 to check if the advice had been followed. Barker told the officer that she had not taken the dog to the vet and her condition had got worse.
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Hide AdMagistrates were told that Cookie's skin appeared infected up her legs and was red raw and smelled strongly of infection. Her ears were sore and she had lost weight and appeared despondent.
Ms Barker told the RSPCA officer that money was no issue but that she didn't drive, and permitted Mr Walker to remove Cookie from the property and take her for urgent veterinary treatment.
The veterinarian who examined Cookie noted that she weighed 10.7kg and assigned her a body condition score of two out of nine. Cookie's ribs, lumbar vertebrae, and pelvic bones were easily visible, and she had extensive skin lesions affecting her face, ears, trunk, and legs.
The vet also found that Cookie's facial folds were red and inflamed with yellow discharge, her ears severely thickened and the canals narrow and infected.
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Hide AdCookie also had significant hair loss around her eyes, ears, abdomen, limbs, and toes. The vet noted that the thickening of the skin in these areas indicated severe and chronic self-trauma from scratching and licking. Additionally, her nails were visibly overgrown and curling into the floor. Blood test results showed no underlying medical issues contributing to her poor body condition, which was likely a result of insufficient food.


The veterinarian noted that with the right treatment, Cookie's outlook for her skin condition is positive. She explained that the serious extent of Cookie's skin issues could have been prevented with regular flea and worming treatments, nail trimming, proper nutrition, and routine veterinary check-ups.
In her written testimony, she stated: “It’s my professional opinion, due to her severe, extensive, and chronic itchy skin as well as the bilateral chronic ear infections, that the person responsible for Cookie caused her unnecessary suffering and had failed to meet the dog’s needs via the appropriate veterinary attention and treatment.
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Hide Ad“A reasonable owner would recognise and seek treatment for such diffuse dramatic skin lesions and scratching.
"These problems were clearly visible due to her loss of hair, prominent discharge and malformation of ears and her frequent scratching behaviour.”
The vet added that from the severity of Cookie's skin lesions, she had suffered for a minimum of four weeks.
Cookie was handed over into RSPCA care by Barker during the investigation, where she was cared for by a fosterer from the charity's Burton upon Trent & District Branch who later decided to adopt her.
Two other dogs belonging to Barker have also been rehomed.
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Along with the ban - which Barker will not be able to contest for five years - the court ordered her to complete a 12-month community order including up to 15 Rehabilitation Activity Requirement Days and pay £250 along with a victim surcharge of £114.
Mitigating, the court heard that Barker, who represented herself, had little to say about the matter other than that she was sorry but didn't think the situation was as bad as the ARO had claimed.
She added that she was "well-known" in her local area as an animal lover and had "tried her hardest" to take care of Cookie, but French bulldogs were "not easy to care for".