Couple strangled rottweiler
A rottweiler dog was strangled and buried in the back garden of a Telford family's home, the town's magistrates heard. A rottweiler dog was strangled and buried in the back garden of a Telford family's home, the town's magistrates heard. The four-year-old animal called Rocky had been kept in a cage in the dining room for a year because he was considered too dangerous to be let out. He eventually became so weak and thin that his owners, Catherine Briggs and Michael Jones, decided to put him down themselves, said Mr Roger Price, prosecuting for the RSPCA. Briggs, 24, and Jones, 26, both of Park Road, Donnington, admitted failing to provide Rocky with an adequate diet or to take him to a vet. Briggs also admitted causing unnecessary suffering to the dog by strangling him on February 16 last year. They were each banned for life from keeping animals, told to carry out 120 hours unpaid community work and ordered to pay £250 costs. Read the full story in today's Shropshire Star
A rottweiler dog was strangled and buried in the back garden of a Telford family's home, the town's magistrates heard.
The four-year-old animal called Rocky had been kept in a cage in the dining room for a year because he was considered too dangerous to be let out.
He eventually became so weak and thin that his owners - Catherine Briggs and Michael Jones - decided to put him down themselves, said Mr Roger Price, prosecuting for the RSPCA.
Briggs, 24, and Jones, 26, both of Park Road, Donnington, admitted failing to provide Rocky with an adequate diet or to take him to a vet.
Briggs also admitted causing unnecessary suffering to the dog by strangling him on February 16 last year.
They were each banned for life from keeping animals, told to carry out 120 hours unpaid community work and ordered to pay £250 costs.
Mr Price said the couple, who had three children living with them at the time, took on Rocky in February 2006 after being told he had bitten 16 or 17 people.
They kept him in a large metal cage in the dining room, only letting him out briefly each morning in the garden.
He became so emaciated the couple decided to end his suffering, Mr Price said.
Briggs later told RSPCA inspectors she had taken Rocky out of his cage, cuddled him and then strangled him with his choke chain before digging his grave in the garden.
Mr Price said Rocky's body was exhumed after police and RSPCA were alerted.
A post-mortem examination revealed he weighed just 22kg, less than half his ideal weight, and would have suffered "anxiety, distress and pain" while being strangled.
"His skeleton was prominent, he had no body fat at all and he had severe muscle wastage," Mr Price said.
Mr John McMillan, for the couple, said they had been living "in squalor" at the time and had lacked the knowledge, resources or ability to look after a dangerous dog.
RSPCA inspector Dave McCartney said afterwards: "This was entirely avoidable. All they had to do was take Rocky to a vet and he could have been put to sleep."
