Denny kennel owner left dog with broken jaw and leg for over a month without treatment

A kennel owner who failed to seek treatment for a dog with a broken jaw and leg for at least six weeks has been banned from owning animals.

Penelope Ritson, known as Penny, admitted to causing her male Jack Russell Terrier-type dog unnecessary pain and discomfort by not taking him to the vet after he was injured in a fight.

The Scottish SCPA attended at Garth Kennels in Denny on February 1 last year after a complaint was made to the charity’s helpline of dog neglect.

An inspector received no answer at the kennel block but waited until the owner returned to ensure the dog couldn’t be moved or hidden.

Ritson told the inspector that there was nothing wrong with the male dog but that he had been in a fight.

The dog was found in a small kennel block, where he was let out by Ritson to a fenced area. He appeared to have an injury to his front leg, which he wasn’t using properly, with the leg seen dangling when he moved.

The dog was unable to bear any weight on his leg and had a serious injury to his lower jaw, which was hanging down with teeth attached, exposing a pink, raw lump that appeared to be part of his inner mouth.

A foul smell was noted coming from the mouth.

After being formally cautioned, Ritson admitted in a police interview that she had not consulted a vet and had attempted to treat the dog herself with leftover antibiotics.

She also confessed that the dog had sustained an injury to the leg under the same circumstances a few years previously.

The dog was seized and taken into the care of the SSPCA, where a vet examination found that the jaw fracture was likely to have been caused by acute trauma.

The hanging end of his jaw was removed, where the vet also noted that he was missing the tip of his tongue.

The fracture of the dog’s leg would have caused suffering for a period of at least six to eight weeks before the fusing of the bone.

Ritson was sentenced to a four-month restriction of liberty order and has been banned from owning animals for five years at Falkirk Sheriff Court.

A Scottish SPCA inspector said: “Although we are pleased to see Ritson be handed a five-year disqualification order, we are disappointed that it only extends to owning and keeping animals and not ‘taking charge of’ and ‘working with or using’ animals.

“We would have hoped for this, given she is the joint owner of an animal boarding establishment and livery yard.”

The SSPCA is calling for a national animal offenders register to be built into existing intelligence systems to support monitoring of individuals convicted of animal cruelty – particularly those banned from owning animals – and flag offenders.

The charity says it would also help address the well-established link between those who harm animals and those who go on to harm humans.