Peterhead woman banned from owning dogs for four years

A woman from Peterhead has been banned from owning dogs for four years for failing to look after her dog Lola.

Ashley Graham, of Crossfolds Crescent, failed to provide a suitable diet or seek a vet for Lola, who later died due to her condition. 

She was sentenced at Peterhead Sheriff Court and was also given 100 hours' community payback following a Scottish SPCA investigation.

Inspector Fiona McKenzie, who was called out to the address after a complaint was made, describes the dog's condition as the "most horrific" she'd seen. 

She said: “When I first laid eyes on Lola, I was shocked. I could not believe what I was seeing. She was like a walking skeleton. 

“She had no body fat or muscle, her skin just hung off her bones. There was no fat on Lola’s head and everything was sunken. Her eyes were cloudy with signs of infection and they had sunk back in to her eye sockets.

“Lola was suffering excessive hair loss from what looked like a chronic skin condition and her skin was hot to touch.

“Her ears had infected wounds which had eaten away at the edge of her ears. She was very weak and had a depressed demeanour.

“It was clear Lola was suffering from lack of nutrition and was in need of veterinary attention.

“The vet concluded that Lola’s condition had developed over the course of several months causing a prolonged period of suffering.

“The vets put Lola on antibiotics and a number of treatments and extracted her decayed teeth.

“Despite this and the best efforts made by the Scottish SPCA to save her, poor Lola didn’t respond to the treatment for her septicaemia and the difficult decision was made that the kindest thing for Lola was to put her to sleep to end her suffering.

“This is a devastating end to Lola’s life which could have easily been avoided if Graham had provided an adequate diet or had asked a vet for advice sooner. Ultimately Graham is responsible for the death of Lola.

“Any sentence is a success but we believe that Lola’s condition should have resulted in a lifetime ban on owning animals. We believe this would have been an appropriate sentence for Graham.

“But we do hope this has made her think seriously about her ability to care for any animal in the future.”

If anyone is concerned about an animal, they can contact the SSPCA's confidential animal helpline on 03000 999 999.