AN AGEING dog was left to die from cancer because the people supposed to be looking after him "didn't get round" to going to the vets.
Eddie, a 17-year-old border collie, was discovered by an RSPCA inspector locked in a shed, "severely emaciated" and with nothing but a thin sheet for warmth.
Trevor Ducker, 67, and Lucinda Mack, 44, of Corner View, Arram, near Beverley, admitted causing unnecessary suffering to the animal between January 1 and February 5 this year at Beverley Magistrates' Court yesterday.
RSPCA prosecutor Phil Brown told the court how Eddie weighed just 10kg – half his healthy body weight – could not stand and was blinded by cataracts when he was rescued.
Mack sobbed from the dock as Mr Brown said: "The inspector arrived at the property and was shown to the shed outside. It was a cold, late afternoon.
"The dog didn't seem to be moving and was lying, simply, on a single, thin sheet and there was no drinking water. He had to be lifted to his feet, where he stood for a few seconds before falling to the ground.
"He had a skeletal frame, every bone was protruding from his spine, ribs and hips. He was covered in his own excrement and smelled very strongly of urine. Mack got distressed and argued with the inspector.
"Mr Ducker said he had intended to take the dog to the vets but hadn't got round to it."
Ducker and Mack had looked after Eddie since 2004, when his owner, their neighbour, moved house and the dog did not settle in well.
He went to live with the couple but his owner visited Eddie three times a week and paid for his food and vet bills.
In 2010, after she moved away from the area, she could only visit Eddie three times a year but continued to financially support his care.
On February 5 this year, she arrived unannounced but Mack said it was not convenient.
The woman refused to leave and, eventually, Ducker carried Eddie into the house.
They told the woman he was sleeping in the shed because he kept urinating on the floor and Mack "wasn't happy" about cleaning it up".
"She said he looked sad and pathetic," said Mr Brown.
"She held him and he appeared to be very thin. The dog collapsed on the floor.
"She was exceptionally angry and insisted Eddie be brought into the property but Ms Mack said 'no, because he stinks'.
"She was sickened by the state of the dog and felt guilty for leaving him with these people she trusted."
The woman called the RSPCA, who took Eddie to Swanbridge Vets in Hull, where he was put to sleep to end his suffering.
Blood tests revealed he had an "aggressive form of cancer".
He also had a painful tumour on his gum, making eating difficult.
The vet said because he was malnourished, fighting the cancer would have been harder.
Reading from the vet's statement, Mr Brown said: "This was a dog in an extremely poor condition. He was severely emaciated and weak.
"Any reasonable owner seeing this dog in this condition should have taken him to the vets and, in not doing so, they contributed to the suffering of this animal."
The case was adjourned for pre-sentencing reports.
Defending Ducker and Mack, Mr Stephen Munroe asked for this to be done quickly because both suffer ill health.
"You can see how distressed Ms Mack is. She is suffering angina and chest pains," he said.
The pair will be sentenced on Monday, July 28.
