‘Like a skeleton on legs’ — Pet ban for dog owner with ‘emaciated’ lurcher 

He also admitted neglecting a Rottweiler dog during the prosecution brought by the Dublin Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (DSPCA). Judge Anthony Halpin heard DSPCA inspector Bartley Finnerty went to Nugent’s home on November 8, 2022, and found a lurcher and a Rottweiler in the rear of the property.

“The lurcher-type dog was in very poor condition,” he said. The Rottweiler was okay; it was a good weight, but the issue was the state of the overgrown garden.

“There was a lot of rubbish in the garden, it was very unkempt, there was no shelter. We were very, very concerned for the lurcher-type dog as you could see its ribs, spine, and you could see all its bones protruding out through it.”

Nugent told the inspector he had the lurcher dog for six years. His explanation for the animal’s condition was that it had gone missing for three or four weeks, but he didn’t report it to the warden or rescue services. He claimed he had friends out looking for the lurcher, which returned a day before the DSPCA inspection.

The court heard he told Mr Finnerty he did not bring it to a vet because he did not think it would make it through the night. Nugent claimed the dog seemed better the following day, and it was eating and walking.

Nugent said he had gone out to get the dog food and returned to find out the DSPCA had removed it.

He explained that the garden was overgrown and untidy because, due to his arthritis, he could not do the necessary work. The court heard that the grass was four feet high and rubbish was strewn everywhere.

Before-and-after pictures of the lurcher dog were handed over to the judge, who commented: 

It looks like a skeleton on legs. I couldn’t describe it any other way.

Mr Finnerty also said it was one of the worst cases he had seen during his experience, adding: “I was actually surprised the dog was still standing.”

He also voiced “grave concerns” about Nugent owning an animal because he had not sought treatment for the lurcher and could not care for dogs due to his arthritis.

A vet’s report stated the dog was emaciated, but it gained weight after being put on a feeding programme and is now in a fabulous condition. However, the court heard it caused anxiety and severe weight loss as a result of starvation due to food deprivation.

The vet concluded that the situation went on for much longer than 24 hours. The prosecution also contended that the animal suffered unnecessarily and that it should have been obvious to the owner that it required veterinary attention.

Nugent surrendered the dogs to the DSPCA, which incurred considerable costs in treating and looking after them. The judge also noted that he had no previous convictions for similar offences and was left with one dog when the lurcher-type and Rottweiler were taken from him.

On Wednesday, William Maher BL, for the DSPCA, applied for an order under section 58 of the Animal Health and Welfare Act to disqualify Nugent from owning or having control of an animal for life. Through his lawyer, Nugent pleaded with the court not to impose the ban.

The defence barrister submitted that Nugent was holding his hands up to the offence but had been attacked by locals when an earlier stage of the case was publicised in the media. Counsel said that Nugent was a dog lover, but his mother was dying at the time and had not been concentrating on his dog.