Man sentenced after collie left with untreated leg amputation

A Carmarthenshire man has been given a suspended prison sentence after failing to seek veterinary treatment for a collie found with severe leg injuries, including a traumatic amputation.

Dyfrig John Davies, 63, of St Clears, appeared before Llanelli Magistrates’ Court last week.

He pleaded guilty to one offence under the Animal Welfare Act for failing to protect his dog, Floss, from pain, suffering, injury and disease.

The court heard how RSPCA officers attended Davies’s farm on 12 January following a report that a dog had been left with bones exposed in its leg.

Deputy Chief Inspector Gemma Cooper said she found Floss in a garage, lying on blankets. She described the collie as “extremely subdued” with her back left foot sloughed off, exposing bone. Her front left elbow was also severely injured, and she had puncture wounds to her other legs.

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Dog fight

Davies told officers that Floss had been missing for a fortnight and returned injured after an apparent dog fight. He admitted he had not sought treatment and had instead arranged for a gamekeeper to shoot the dog but claimed he had been “let down.”

A vet who examined Floss confirmed she had “obvious traumatic injuries including traumatic amputation of her left hind paw” and an exposed elbow joint. Floss was also underweight, with significant muscle wastage, but remained alert and calm during handling.

Floss was taken for emergency treatment, including surgery costing £6,000. She was later signed over to the Dog’s Trust and has since recovered and been rehomed.

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18 weeks

In court, Davies was sentenced to 18 weeks in custody, suspended for 12 months. He was ordered to pay £400 costs and a £154 victim surcharge. The court also suggested he make a personal donation towards Floss’s veterinary treatment.

In mitigation, the court heard Davies was remorseful and accepted he should have sought help sooner. The incident was described as a one-off, and he had “learned from it.”

DCI Cooper said after the case: “Floss was in an appalling state when I found her. No animal should be left to suffer in this way. Thanks to urgent treatment, she has made an incredible recovery and is now in a loving home.”