A 39-year-old woman has been jailed for eight months after leaving eight dogs to starve in an abandoned flat in Dundee, with only one surviving the horrific conditions. Stacey Harris was sentenced at Dundee Sheriff Court on Tuesday and received a lifetime ban from owning or keeping dogs.
The Scottish SPCA launched an investigation in October 2024 following a tip-off about suspected abandonment. When inspectors arrived, they found an emaciated Sharpei-type dog with infected eyes, and the flat was overwhelmed by the smell of faeces and urine, with excrement and rubbish scattered throughout.
Inside, they discovered the remains of a dead Sharpei stuck in a bedroom doorway and another dead Sharpei cross in a second bedroom. The bodies of a 12-year-old chihuahua and a year-old Sharpei were never found and are presumed to have been eaten. Three other emaciated Sharpei-type dogs had to be euthanised due to the severity of their untreated conditions.
The sole survivor, a tan and white American Bulldog, was so malnourished she could not walk and had to be carried out. A vet confirmed she had recently given birth and was suffering from dehydration, skin and ear infections, and was extremely underweight with visible ribs and spine.
Harris was found guilty of seven charges, including six of causing unnecessary suffering and one of failing to meet basic welfare needs. An SSPCA inspector said: 'This was an extremely distressing case where multiple animals suffered unnecessarily for a prolonged period which could have been easily avoided.'
