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21
Jan
Harrogate man banned from owning animals after injuring puppy who had to be put down
Warning: this article contains distressing images and detail.
A Harrogate man has been given a suspended prison sentence after attacking his puppy and leaving her with multiple injuries.
Kyle Dorling, 27, of Harewood Road, admitted inflicting blunt force trauma on his American bulldog, Ivy, on numerous occasions between December 2022 and March 2023.
He also admitted failing to take Ivy – who he is believed to have deliberately abandoned – for veterinary care for the multiple fractures and injuries she received.
At a sentencing hearing at Sheffield Crown Court on Wednesday, January 8, Dorling was given an 18-month custodial sentence, suspended for two years, and disqualified from keeping animals for an indefinite period.
'Prolonged and serious infliciton of cruelty'
Recorder David Gordon described the case as a ‘prolonged and serious infliction of cruelty,’ and said six-month-old Ivy, who had to be put to sleep as a result of her injuries, had suffered a ‘high level of pain and suffering.’
The court heard that a member of the public had spotted the puppy in the grounds of a block of flats at Woodland Road in the Norton Lees area of Sheffield on 25 March 2023.
She noticed the young dog was skinny and couldn't walk properly and kept lifting her left paw. There was scarring on her mouth, which looked as though it had been tied shut, and the pads on her feet were bloody and raw.
Ivy was taken by the finder to the local authority’s dog warden service where she was cared for and seen by a vet. Because of the suspicious nature of her injuries she was then collected by the RSPCA and an investigation by the animal welfare charity began.
The court heard that Dorling, who was identified as Ivy’s owner by her microchip, lived in Woodland Road, where she was found. RSPCA Inspector Jennie Ronksley was told that he had offered the dog to someone else, but they’d said no, and he had then apparently dumped her on the landing and left.
Dorling was traced to East Sussex by the RSPCA. In a phone call with Inspector Ronksley he said that Ivy had gone missing and that he had reported it on a lost-and-found site. He said he used to crate her while he was at work and that she had a ‘bad leg’ from when she tried to get out of it.
He was later interviewed in East Sussex and denied having ever intentionally harmed Ivy, saying he wasn’t aware she had broken bones and thought they were minor injuries.
The court was told that Dorling had taken Ivy to a vet on 25 January 2023 as she wasn’t bearing weight on her right back leg. As he was eligible for subsidised treatment, he was told to book radiographs for her at the PDSA but failed to attend the appointment.
Over three weeks later he took Ivy in with similar symptoms, although she now also had swelling on her bottom jaw. Dorling was told to bring in a urine sample for her as soon as possible so vets could start to investigate what might be wrong, but they never saw him again.
In her written evidence, the vet who examined Ivy on March 30 on behalf of the RSPCA said she was underweight and unable to walk normally. There was a marked angular limb deformity on her right front leg and she was completely non-weight bearing on her right back leg. She also had abrasions on multiple pads on all four feet, which were indicative of suspected trauma.
Given how the fractures had healed, the vet said Ivy’s prognosis was ‘grave’ and ‘irreparable’. Her right back leg would need to be completely amputated and the changes to her right front leg were so severe that she would never be able to have good enough mobility – if any – especially for a growing, large breed dog. Sadly the decision was made to put her down to prevent further suffering.
In her evidence to the court the vet said:
As veterinary surgeons we are sadly accustomed to seeing fractures and trauma on a regular basis. However, what is so utterly devastating in this case is that Ivy had been left with multiple fractures across their body for weeks with very minimal, if any, treatment.
The pain that Ivy would have been in with one, let alone five, fractures is unfathomable. What is most upsetting is that an owner would leave their own pet in such an excruciatingly painful state without seeking emergency veterinary care other than sporadically over a period of a few months.
The owner would have known that Ivy was suffering without seeking thorough and continued veterinary care. He also failed to bring her back for appointments and further work.
What is also concerning is the markings over the muzzle that indicate forceful restraint with a linear object so tight there had been chronic changes in the skin and fur. The owner claimed this was due to her rubbing her nose on the bars of her crate which is not at all plausible or possible.
Dorling, who will not be able to contest his ban for 10 years, was also given a three-month electronic curfew between 8pm and 8am and up to 20 Rehabilitation Activity Requirement Days and ordered to pay £400 in costs and a victim surcharge of £154.
In mitigation the court was told he had experienced a difficult upbringing and had poor mental health which had impacted on his thinking and behaviour and made it difficult for him to control his temper. His mental health was still an issue, but he had demonstrated remorse for his actions, had no previous convictions and had been assessed as being capable of rehabilitation within the community.
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