Woman who hid emaciated Boxer in cupboard during police visit fined £300

A woman who kept two emaciated dogs in a home covered with piles of faeces has been handed a £300 fine.

Chloe MacKenzie kept the underweight German Shepherd and Boxer at her home in Tain and failed to provide them with adequate nutrition or veterinary care.

Police and Scottish SPCA officers first visited the property on April 4, 2024 after receiving reports of two emaciated female dogs at the address.

Upon entering the home, they discovered several piles of dog faces on the floor of a bedroom.

A German Shepherd was found to be in poor body condition at the property. The second dog was not found during the visit.

It was later discovered that the Boxer had been hidden in a cupboard, or a similar small space, and that it was in too weak a condition to bark or make a noise.

Four days later, police and SSPCA officers raided the property.

The Boxer was in a severely emaciated state, struggling to walk and appeared weak. She was taken to the vet after being removed from the property.

The Boxer was described as emaciated, with multiple bones visible. The vet established that she had not been provided an adequate diet for a period of at least three months in order to cause this level of malnutrition.

The German Shepherd was described as being extremely underweight with no visible body fat.

The German Shepherd was found during the first visit to the house. SSPCA

The vet concluded that her poor condition was a result of chronic neglect and lack of nutrition.

Both dogs were deemed to have mild anaemia.

MacKenzie pled guilty to a charge after admitting to causing her two female dogs unnecessary suffering by failing to provide an adequate diet or veterinary care.

She was fined £300 and banned from owning animals for five years.

The Scottish SPCA inspector said: “MacKenzie boasting to others that she had hidden the Boxer from the Scottish SPCA is a worrying insight into the attitude of the accused towards any living creature, and the Scottish SPCA have serious concerns for any vulnerable life in her care in the future.

“Even the most inexperienced of dog owners are aware of their simple legal and moral duty to provide their animal with adequate nutrition, and a reasonable owner, at the first indication of weight loss in their animal, should address this, with either an increase in food, an examination by a veterinary surgeon, or both. The failure of the accused to do so, and the deception used to hide the Boxer, indicate to the Scottish SPCA that the starvation of the two dogs was a deliberate and calculated act.

“Both dogs have achieved significant weight gain since they have been in Scottish SPCA care, this having been achieved with nothing more than an adequate diet.

“We are concerned that without a ban, another dog or animal will be obtained by the accused and will be subject to similar circumstances.”