Rugby man banned from keeping animals for life after leaving pet dog called Reggie alone to starve in a flat

Rugby man Connor Reese Smith has been banned from keeping animals for life after allowing his pet dog Reggie to starve to death.

Smith, 27, of Knole Close, was sentenced at Coventry Magistrates Court after pleading guilty to an animal welfare offence, following an investigation and prosecution by the RSPCA.

The animal welfare began an investigation after being contacted with concerns about a dead dog found decomposing in an empty property which the defendant had moved out of.

RSPCA Animal Rescue Officer Jonny Wood described the moment he first saw Reggie inside the empty flat.

He said: “I was met by two cleaning contractors that had taken on the job of clearing the property.

“There was a very strong smell coming from inside and as I entered I noticed the deceased dog. He was wrapped in a bedsheet and was fairly decomposed. There was a dog crate in the room which had mounds of food and faeces around the edge. The tray from inside the crate stood upright next to it, also covered in faeces.

“I photographed the area where the body lay, the marks on the floor indicated the body had been there some time. There was no evidence of a water source but there were a couple of upturned bowls.”

Reggie’s body was seized by police and taken by the RSPCA and sent for post-mortem examination to reach conclusions over the likely cause of death.

In their report to the court, the vet who examined Reggie’s body said: “It is likely that Reggie suffered the fatal and combined consequences of water and food restriction. There are strong indicators of a long period of calorie deficit prior to death.

“There are no indicators of other underlying disease to account for negative energy balance prior to death.

“He was recumbent for at least a few hours, at some point before death, indicated by the presence of pressure sores.

“In my professional opinion on a veterinary basis, the owner of Reggie failed to provide an appropriate diet to the extent required by good practice.

“There were no other health conditions identified to explain the extremely poor body and muscle condition, and it can be concluded that the most likely cause of death was starvation or underfeeding.”

RSPCA Inspector Nicola Johnson, who investigated for the animal welfare charity, said after sentencing: "The distress that Reggie must have experienced as he starved is deeply upsetting. It is the responsibility of the owners to ensure the wellbeing of their pets and protect them from harm.”

Alongside the lifetime ban from keeping animals, which he can not appeal for five years, he was ordered to carry out 15 hours unpaid work and pay £750 costs and a £114 victim surcharge when he was sentenced on October 30.