Glasgow man neglected American Bully in 'worst case of starvation seen in a decade'

A Glasgow man neglected his American Bulldog in “the worst case of starvation” the Scottish SPCA has seen in a decade.

Ciaran Connelly has been banned from keeping or owning dogs for a year and was also given a community payback order and ordered to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work.

The 23-year-old was sentenced at Glasgow Sheriff Court on Thursday after pleading guilty to a breach of animal welfare after the two-year-old dog died from neglect.

The Scottish SPCA said it was “deeply disappointed” by the sentence and would have expected a penalty “reflecting the seriousness of the offending”.

The animal welfare charity said Connelly inadequately fed the dog, named Boss, for at least a month, most likely for more than two months, resulting in him being in a severe state of emaciation.

Glasgow & West

Dog put down after being neglected to ‘abnormal’ state by owner

Ciaran Connelly neglected his American Bulldog called Boss, to the point where its bones and spine were clearly visible.

‘The case still haunts me’

A SSPCA inspector attended Connelly’s home after a vet raised concerns for Boss’s welfare to the charity’s helpline on January 16, 2025.

The vet said: “The bones of his body were clearly visible, including his ribs, spine, and pelvic bones. Given the age and breed of Boss, I would have expected him to be really well muscled, and I was extremely concerned by his condition.”

“As soon as I saw Boss, I knew he had been severely neglected”, the Scottish SPCA Inspector said.

“He had no visible body fat or muscles.

“This case still haunts me to this day. It is the worst case of emaciation that I have seen in my ten years working for the Scottish SPCA.”

“He looked skeletal and would collapse whenever placed on the floor. He was unable to walk.

“This case still haunts me to this day. It is the worst case of emaciation that I have seen in my ten years working for the Scottish SPCA, and three years as a Scottish SPCA Inspector.”

After veterinary examination, Boss was taken to the Scottish SPCA’s Animal Rescue and Rehoming Centre for further care and treatment.

However, his deterioration was so severe that he was put down on welfare grounds.

A post-mortem examination showed Boss’s deterioration was due to severe malnutrition.

It revealed he had ingested a rubber plastic band, a piece of broken glass and a dirty cloth in an attempt to fill his stomach.

‘Significant physical and mental suffering’

A Scottish SPCA vet added “As a vet, there is not a clinical disease process and treatment pathway where I, or a responsible owner, would find it reasonable or acceptable to allow a dog to deteriorate in this way”.

The charity said that by the time Connelly sought vet attention, it was too late to rectify the starvation his dog was subjected to.

“Boss was essentially slowly starved to death, an experience which would have caused him significant physical and mental suffering”, the inspector said.

“Any reasonable owner would have noticed the obviously emaciated body condition of the dog and sought immediate veterinary attention.

“Therefore, I believe he is unsuitable to own and take responsibility for any animal in the future.”

Sentencing

Glasgow Sheriff Court heard that the matter was reported to the Scottish SPCA in January 2025.

Des Ziolo, defending, told the court that his client was going through mental health issues at the time but has since returned to work as a delivery driver.

Sheriff Allan McKay ordered Connelly, of the city’s Govan, to do 150 hours of unpaid work, placed him under supervision and disqualified him from owning animals for one year.

The sheriff said: “This is a very serious situation, and I will accept your explanation at face value.

“It appears you did care for this dog at some point, but it appears you lost the ability…but the dog paid the ultimate price.

“It is a horrible thing to happen.”

The SSPCA added: “We are deeply disappointed by the sentence imposed in this case and would have expected a penalty that more clearly reflected the seriousness of the offending.

“We continue to call for the creation of a National Animal Offenders Register, as set out in our manifesto, to help ensure that individuals who are unfit to care for animals can be monitored and prevented from causing further harm.

“However, for such measures to be effective, sentencing must properly reflect the severity of the crime.

“Where brutal cases like Boss’ result in weak penalties, it limits the ability of any register to prevent repeat offending and protect animals from further suffering at the hands of individuals like Connelly.”