By Grâçia Ada Obi
A Derbyshire woman has been sentenced after leaving her dog to become so emaciated that he was barely alive when she finally took him to see a vet.
Elderly Staffie Wally had to be put to sleep by vets as he was barely breathing and had a very faint heartbeat when he was taken to see a vet in March.
The RSPCA was contacted by vets in Sheffield on March 7 after an emaciated dog was brought into their care to be euthanised.
“The vet informed me that Wally was registered at the practice as a 13 and a half year old brindle entire male Staffordshire bull terrier, but was unrecognisable due to his extremely poor condition. He said he’d never seen a dog in such poor condition.”
Vets found a faint heartbeat but put Wally to sleep to end his suffering.
In his veterinary report, he said: “It is unacceptable that Wally presented in a state that was very near death.”
The vet added that “had he not arrived the likelihood [is that] he will have died within hours” – and concluded that Wally had suffered unnecessarily as a result of neglect.
Wally’s owner was Dominika Carolina Wojnar, of Alexandra Road, Dronfield. The 43-year-old said she had struggled to take care of him due to financial pressures and struggles as a single parent.
She was sentenced on Friday, November 8 to 12 weeks in prison – suspended for 12 months. She was also ordered to pay £554 in costs and was disqualified from keeping animals for 10 years.
She pleaded guilty to one offence of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal and was sentenced at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court.
