Starving dogs were kept in filthy squalor

Kennet magistrates imposed the ban on the 56-year-old from Poulshot Road, Poulshot, after hearing she had a previous conviction in 1998 for causing unnecesary suffering to animals, which resulted in a five year pet ban.

The court in Devizes was told on Monday that all Johnson's collies were suffering from dermatitis on their paws caused by constantly walking along a urine-soaked floor.

One rough collie was so emaciated she was thought by a local vet to be almost half her ideal body weight.

Johnson did not turn up on Monday for the start of what was intended to be a three-day trial. She faced seven charges of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal between November 10 and December 11 last year.

Stephen Clifford, prosecuting on behalf of the RSPCA, asked the magistrates to hear the case in Johnson's absence. He said: "This case has been on the list for many months and she is fully aware the proceedings were due to take place today."

The magistrates agreed to hear the evidence and Mr Clifford read from statements made by RSPCA inspector Kate Davis.

Ms Davis first went to the property in Poulshot on September 5 last year, meeting Johnson outside the house. She asked to be allowed to go in and examine the seven dogs and Johnson agreed. Ms Davis advised Johnson on cleanliness and veterinary care and left.

Ms Davis called again five days later and was pleased to see the lounge and kitchen had been cleaned and there were water bowls left out for the dogs. She accompanied Johnson while she walked the dogs and gave more advice on care.

Ms Davis made another two visits to the house. On the first of these, on November 10, she noted that one of the dogs, Octavia, had a patch of hair loss about four inches long on her back. She advised that Octavia should be taken to a vet and Johnson agreed.

But a month later, on December 11, Ms Davis paid another visit. She knocked on the door but got no response. Looking through the window she saw six rough collies and one border collie loose in the house. Conditions had deteriorated seriously from Ms Davis' last visit.

There were piles of faeces and pools of urine throughout the lounge and kitchen areas. Ms Davis saw that Johnson was in the house, and arranged for a vet and police officers to call.

Police Inspector Pete Bowerbank said he was aware of a strong smell of urine and faeces when he went through the door.

Scott Carpenter, a vet from the Estcourt House Veterinary Centre in Devizes, called at the house and removed the seven dogs to his surgery for examination. He found that one rough collie bitch, Cinderella, weighed 11.75kg, 44 per cent below the weight she should have been.

Mr Carpenter said the animal was emaciated and had a body condition score of one, on a scale of one to nine.

Cinderella and the other dogs Seraphine, Octavia, Serena, May, Safari and Sophie had all been malnourished over a period of six to eight weeks. Their paws all suffered from inter-digital dermatitis caused by having to walk across urine-soaked floors.

After discussion, presiding magistrate Norman Spinney said he and his two colleagues agreed that the suffering caused to the dogs had been unnecessary and found Johnson guilty on all counts.

They issued a warrant for her arrest so she would appear on Tuesday morning for sentence, which she did.

In addition to the ten-year ban, she was given a two-year conditional discharge and the dogs were confiscated.

No order for costs was made, although the RSPCA said the case had cost it £19,000 to bring.

In 1998, Johnson was given a two-year conditional discharge and a five-year pet ban.

She had been convicted on 19 charges of causing unnecessary suffering after it was found she was keeping nine puppies, 16 dogs and two cats in insanitary conditions at her previous home in East Chisenbury, near Upavon.

She lost an appeal against the ban but was prosecuted a few months later when puppies were found at her home.