Banned Lancaster dog owner jailed after he failed to get medical help when terrier was attacked by wild animal

A Lancaster man has been sent to prison for 23 weeks for causing unnecessary suffering to a Patterdale terrier and for breaching a lifelong animal ban.
By Gayle Rouncivell
Published 25th Jan 2023, 15:37 GMT
Updated 25th Jan 2023, 16:55 GMT
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Joseph Shaun Whittam, 32, of Greenset Close, appeared at Blackburn Magistrates' Court on Friday to be sentenced for four offences.

He was previously due to stand trial for the offences but changed his pleas to guilty on the first day of the trial.

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The offences were that he caused unnecessary suffering to a brown Patterdale terrier known as Thugly - by failing to provide veterinary treatment for injuries following an encounter with a wild mammal - and failing to take steps to ensure that Thugly’s needs were met in that he let him engage in an encounter with a wild mammal, leading to him becoming injured.

The owner of Thugly the Patterdale terrier failed to get veterinary treatment for injuries following an encounter with a wild animal. Picture from RSCPA.The owner of Thugly the Patterdale terrier failed to get veterinary treatment for injuries following an encounter with a wild animal. Picture from RSCPA.
The owner of Thugly the Patterdale terrier failed to get veterinary treatment for injuries following an encounter with a wild animal. Picture from RSCPA.

He was also in breach of a disqualification order which banned him for keeping animals for life by keeping four ferrets and in respect to a dog.

Officers from the RSPCA’s Special Operations Unit joined officers from Lancashire Police when they executed a warrant in Greenset Close on April 1 2021, due to a suspected breach of a disqualification order.

Whittam was disqualified from keeping all animals for life by magistrates in December 2018, but officers discovered three dogs and four ferrets.

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RSPCA inspector Jason Bowles said: “In the yard there were three hutches and two of those hutches were contained in a brick-built shelter and were positioned one on top of the other. In the top hutch, there were three adult ferrets that looked to be in normal body condition.

The owner of Thugly the Patterdale terrier failed to get veterinary treatment for injuries following an encounter with a wild animal. Picture from RSCPA.The owner of Thugly the Patterdale terrier failed to get veterinary treatment for injuries following an encounter with a wild animal. Picture from RSCPA.
The owner of Thugly the Patterdale terrier failed to get veterinary treatment for injuries following an encounter with a wild animal. Picture from RSCPA.

“Adjacent to the house by the back door there was a hutch on its own with a single adult ferret inside that looked to be in normal body condition.

“I was informed by a police officer that this ferret had just been transferred to this hutch at the start of the warrant being executed as it was loose.”

A woman at the address claimed to own three dogs found at the home while Whittam admitted owning the ferrets. He was told to rehome them immediately.

Whittam was handed four custodial sentences to run concurrently – 23 weeks’ custody for two offences in regard to Thugly and 18 weeks’ custody for each of the breaches of the disqualification order.