Dog died after eating ham laced with antifreeze in Telford
A man has been disqualified from keeping animals for five years after he laced some ham with antifreeze which was eaten by his neighbour’s dog, killing him.
Edmund Dickens, 80, of Hopkins Heath, Telford, appeared at Telford Magistrates’ Court today, where he pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to the dog by placing food rendered poisonous with antifreeze in a place accessible to animals, knowing it would cause unnecessary suffering, contrary to section 4 under the Animal Welfare Act, and to knowingly placing the poisonous food on the floor, contrary to section 8 of the Protection of Animals Act.
As well as the disqualification order, magistrates ordered him to pay costs of £950.
The court heard that, in August this year, Dickens placed the ham in a yogurt pot in his front garden before going on holiday as he wanted to get rid of rats. However Tyson, a West Highland terrier who lived across the road, ate the ham and died four days later from the effects of poisoning.
RSPCA inspector Kate Parker, who investigated, said: “Tyson suffered immensely in the last few days of his life. It took him four days to die, during which he would have numerous fits, one of which lasted three hours. This was incredibly difficult for his owners, who were left devastated.
“Dogs are curious animals and are naturally drawn to food on the floor, so it is no surprise that Tyson was attracted to this piece of ham. Sadly, antifreeze can cause so much suffering to the animal who ingested it. It is so important that we get the message out there that antifreeze is a very toxic substance which will cause terrible suffering.”
