Owner banned from keeping animals after straying mastiff found malnourished

A woman has been banned from keeping animals for 10 years after a prosecution by the RSPCA. 

Shannon Beecher, 27, of Gleneagle Road, Streatham, pleaded guilty to two offences of failing to address her Italian mastiff’s weight loss and failing to meet her pet’s needs.

The defendant appeared at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court on Friday where she was sentenced to eight weeks in custody, suspended for 12 months, and banned from keeping animals for a decade.

Ms Beecher’s dog, Kane, was found straying in a neighbour’s garden on May 1, 2024,  and was taken in by Lambeth council’s dog warden service. 

RSPCA Inspector Harriet Dailday attended the council’s kennels the following day where she found the dog was underweight and unsteady on his rear legs.

Kane was then taken to RSPCA Finsbury Park Animal Hospital.

In a statement to the court, Inspector Daliday said: “Kane was bright and alert but he was incredibly thin with all his ribs, hips and spine easily visible. He was so underweight that his head looked irregularly large for his body.”

Kane scored one out of nine on a body condition score, where a score of four or five is a healthy weight. 

A vet who examined the canine at the hospital said he was 10kg underweight and that he had been suffering from malnutrition for around four to five weeks. He was also suffering from a flea infestation.

The court heard the defendant suffered from mental health issues. She was told to pay £400 court costs and a £154 victim surcharge.

Pictured top: Kane was found to be 10kg underweight during an examination by the RSPCA (Picture: RSPCA)