A Perthshire pet owner whose “howling” dog was seized by animal welfare officers after complaints from neighbours has been found guilty of neglect.
Police and the SSPCA swooped on a property in MacDonald Crescent, Rattray, following claims a lurcher-type dog had been left chained up outside in sub-zero temperatures.
They found the dog, called Bruce, tethered in the back garden with only a half-built wooden shed for shelter.
Owner Clifford Hodgkins was found guilty of neglecting the animal after a two-day trial at Perth Sheriff Court.
The court heard that between November 27 and 29, 2020, the 40-year-old failed to provide Bruce with a suitable environment and limited its movement by tethering it to a chain.
Hodgkins failed to provide the animal with adequate shelter and exposed it to the elements.
He also didn’t give it a warm, comfortable resting area.
Court to consider banning order
Sheriff Francis Gill told Hodgkins that he found the evidence of SSPCA officers, police and neighbours “credible and reliable”.
He said the dog was left in a state of distress.
The sheriff said a further allegation, that Hodgkins behaved in a threatening or abusive manner and threw stones at the dog, was not proven.
Tree surgeon Hodgkins, of Woodlands Park, Blairgowrie, now faces a ban on keeping animals.
Sheriff Gill told him: “Under this legislation, there are several orders that are open to the court.
“I will defer sentence so that on the next occasion I can be addressed fully on these orders.”
Seized after three days
Taking the witness stand, Hodgkins told the trial he had bought the dog for £400 after seeing it advertised on the internet.
“I bought it on the Friday and the police came and took him on the Sunday,” he said.
“It was a pet. I wanted to take him on walks in the countryside.”
He denied neglecting the animal, insisting that the shed – which had no door or windows – was wind-proof, dry and insulated.
Hodgkins rejected claims made by a neighbour that he threw stones at the dog and shouted aggressively at it.
“The dog was whinging because it was in a new environment,” he said.
“So I told it to get in (the shed) a few times.”
He said: “You have to train them, because they’re brain dead. You have to show him.”
Body language
The court earlier heard from SSPCA inspector Katherine Aitchison who went to the property – then the home of Hodgkin’s partner – after complaints from residents.
She said Hodgkins answered the door and told her there was no dog in the back garden.
Ms Aitchison told the trial she returned with police the following day.
She described the lurcher-type dog in the back garden as “very cold and all hunched up”.
She said: “I think the night before the temperature had dropped to minus four.
“The dog was obviously tired and was shivering.
“Its tail was between its legs and it had a roached back.
“That’s not happy body language.”
Examination
Ms Aitchison said the dog had access to a wooden shed, which had a tarpaulin sheet with a slit in it instead of a door.
“There was a small blanket on the floor of the shed.
“It wasn’t providing much comfort and it definitely wasn’t providing any heat.”
The dog was taken to SSPCA offices and examined.
Ms Aitchison said it had cracks on its paws, an infected claw and scarring on its face.
“He relaxed after a few minutes of being in the heat,” she said.
Neighbour Karen Thorburn told the trial she was kept awake by the dog’s “howling,” while another witness Jenna Muir said she heard it crying.
Solicitor David Holmes, defending, said the conviction will be a “significant matter” for Hodgkins.
“He has kept dog since he was a child,” he said.
“At least it appears that the dog did not suffer as a result of this.”
Hodgkins will be sentenced on June 22.
