A couple has been prohibited from owning pets after abandoning their elderly dog in a canal by placing it in a bag. Terrence Boyd, 34, and Sadie Boyd, 32, were caught on camera carrying the black bag along Walter Street in Brierfield, Lancashire, on the morning of August 27 last year. They proceeded to the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, where they discarded their elderly terrier-type dog, Maddie, into the water within the bag.
A witness, initially mistaking the bag for clothes, spotted the couple dumping it in the canal. The dog walker attempted to rescue Maddie when her head emerged from the bag. Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service then retrieved the pet from the canal for urgent veterinary care.
Maddie, identified through a microchip to Sadie Boyd’s address, eventually had to be euthanized due to her deteriorating condition. The Boyds, residing on Walter Street, received an eight-week suspended sentence each at Burnley Magistrates’ Court on June 24. They were also handed a 10-year ban on pet ownership after pleading guilty to offenses under the Animal Welfare Act concerning Maddie, the kittens, and the snake.
The court was informed of the unsanitary conditions at the couple’s residence, with piles of pet waste and mice infestation. The vet who attended to Maddie described her severe state, including hypothermia, malnutrition, and muscle atrophy. Maddie had to be put to sleep to prevent further suffering as her health worsened.
In addition to the kittens’ poor condition, some were found soaked in urine, with four of them requiring warming due to hypothermia. The smallest female kitten, weighing 735 grams, was put down by the vet for welfare reasons after experiencing seizures.
During RSPCA interviews, Terrence Boyd declined to comment extensively, while Sadie Boyd denied involvement in the canal incident or ownership of the kittens. The couple must complete 20 Rehabilitation Activity Requirement Days and pay a victim surcharge each. Their disqualification from pet ownership stands for five years.
RSPCA Chief Inspector Nix expressed gratitude toward those who assisted in Maddie’s case. The couple’s corn snake, neglected without suitable conditions, was entrusted to an exotic specialist, and the surviving kittens were rehomed. Other animals belonging to the Boyds, not linked to the offenses, were also taken by the RSPCA for rehoming purposes.
