Cruel dog owner David Nicholls given ban for leaving Jack Russell tied up

CRUEL David Nicholls chained an injured dog to a kennel – 18 months after tethering another pet to a park bench.

The unemployed 55-year-old has been banned from keeping animals for 10 years after he left his Jack Russell, Nato, for so long it had begun to eat its own faeces and drink its own urine to survive.

Nicholls, of Magdalen Road, Blurton, had previously been handed a two-year-conditional discharge after he bought a Staffordshire Bull Terrier dog in a pub and left it tied to a park bench in May last year.

He had abandoned the dog with a note in Queens Park, Longton, claiming it did not get along with his mother's dog.

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Shocked RSPCA officers were again called to investigate after receiving an anonymous tip-off earlier this year.

They discovered 16-year-old Nato, above, in the back garden with a weeping wound on its neck, Stafford Magistrates Court heard yesterday.

Magistrate Doug Hood criticised Nicholls for not seeking care for Nato, who was found on March 15.

He told Nicholls: "This matter of causing unnecessary cruelty to the dog is a serious case. Anyone would have realised that the dog needed treatment. This is also compounded by your previous discharge for a similar matter."

Prosecutor Kevin Worthington said the dog's injuries included sores on the animal's neck, which had been crudely bandaged.

The one-eyed dog's remaining eye had become infected and a vet later discovered it had lost much of its sight.

Mr Worthington said: "This dog had been caused unnecessary suffering by the failure to seek veterinary care.

"Even the most uninformed lay person would be able to tell it required attention."

Glenn Cook, mitigating, said Nicholls had 'issues' including mental health problems.

He said the dog was now healthy and had been rehomed.

"It's good to hear that the dog has been responding well to treatment," Mr Cook said.

"I understand Nato is soon to be celebrating his 17th birthday."

Nicholls admitted a charge of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal.

As well as the 10-year ban, the defendant was also handed an 18-month community order and must pay vet's costs of £465.

After the hearing, RSPCA officer Laura Bryant told The Sentinel: "Nato would have needed only basic treatment if Nicholls had taken him to the vet.

"But leaving him for so long made his injuries horrific."