A woman has been banned from keeping animals for life after RSPCA inspectors found 21 pedigree collies and a cat living in heavily soiled conditions in a caravan and van in Cumbria. Penelope Garner-Carpenter, 67, was spared jail but handed a 22-week prison sentence, suspended for a year, at Barrow-in-Furness Magistrates Court on September 25.
Dogs found in squalid conditions
The RSPCA, along with police officers, attended Garner-Carpenter's caravan and van on a car park in Walney Road, Barrow-in-Furness, on July 14 last year, after concerns were raised about how the dogs were being kept. A total of 16 female dogs, five males, and a black and white cat were taken to a local police station.
Vets found that 10 of the dogs were emaciated, which had caused them to become anaemic. The animals were said to be stained in faeces and urine and had some pressure sores on their bodies. Inside the van, inspectors discovered a strong unpleasant smell after dogs had reportedly been living in the cargo area, along with an unopened pack of raw chicken thighs that Garner-Carpenter had reportedly been feeding the animals.
Inspector's shock at living conditions
RSPCA Inspector Carl Larsson, in a statement to the court, said he could not believe someone had lived in the caravan. He described the van's cargo area as still having a strong smell of urine and faeces after the dogs had been removed, with no windows in the back and very limited natural light once the doors were closed.
“Ventilation would also be an issue, particularly with the crates stacked three high as they had been,” he said. “The caravan was in a similar condition and I could not believe that someone had been living there. The dogs were all housed in metal dog crates with plastic bases, although these were missing from some of them. There was no bedding of any sort and almost all the cages were heavily soiled.”
Vet reports severe suffering
After further examination at a veterinary practice, 10 of the dogs were found to be emaciated and covered in urine and faeces more than 24 hours old. The vet concluded that all the dogs were extremely anaemic as a result, believing this would have taken several months of malnutrition. Several dogs also had diarrhoea, matted fur and pressure sores, and one female collie was so dehydrated she had to be put on a drip overnight.
The vet said the cat was terrified and had been kept in the caravan with some of the dogs, making it hard for the cat to hide, which would have been extremely stressful. She added that the dogs were unable to move around in the stacked crates, and the environment would cause suffering as well as the lack of appropriate resources.
Owner's defence and rehoming
Garner-Carpenter, now of Hatfield Woodhouse, near Doncaster in South Yorkshire, denied committing any offences, saying she was suffering from old age and poor health. She told investigators she fed the animals raw chicken and treated them for fleas as required, and that the van was a short-term solution after she had been evicted from her home.
She was convicted of three animal welfare offences in her absence. Since the dogs were seized, 20 have been rehomed, while one had to be put down due to ill-health. The cat, Julius, has also been adopted.
RSPCA Inspector Will Lamping, who led the investigation, said the conditions were “unacceptable”. He said: “There would have been barely room to move, distress from excessive noise and the animals would have been forced to toilet in the small space they had been provided with. Crates should only be used for short periods of time, with suitable training, and should never be used as a permanent environment for a dog.”
