Man ordered to pay more than £6k after he refused to take injured dogs to the vet

A man from Ceredigion has been handed an 18-week prison sentence, suspended for two years , after leaving his dogs without veterinary care. This includes one dog suffering "chronic pain" for a minimum of two weeks. Rhys Ebenezer, 27, of Llangeitho, Tregaron, appeared before Llanelli Magistrates' Court on Thursday, May 21, where he received the suspended sentence. He was also banned from keeping animals for 10 years and was ordered to pay costs of £6,410.92 and a victim surcharge of £154. Ebenezer had previously admitted four offences under the Animal Welfare Act relating to causing unnecessary suffering and failing to meet the needs of three dogs. He was additionally given a six-month curfew order, instructed to complete 15 rehabilitation activity requirement days, and barred from travelling abroad for 12 months. For the biggest stories in Wales first sign up to our daily newsletter here RSPCA officers attended a property in Llangeitho on September 29 last year after receiving reports of injured dogs being housed in kennels at the location. Upon arrival, officers Holly Brown and Darryl Thomas had immediate concerns regarding two of the dogs, four-year-old Charlie and two-year-old Twig, both Patterdale terriers and housed in the kennels. Animal Rescue Officer Holly Brown said in her witness statement: "Twig was curled up in her bed and appeared very lethargic and subdued. "I observed a large blue bandage on her front right leg. [I was] informed that Twig had been involved in the fight with the other dog 'Champ' who was at the vets with Rhys Ebenezer and that they had injured each other fighting through the bars of the kennels." She continued: "Charlie appeared bright, alert and active. He appeared in underweight body condition of 3/9. His ribs were easily visible and his waist was very 'sucked in'. "I observed that Charlie was covered all over his body in scars and healing wounds in different stages of healing. Some appeared much more recent and others appeared healed... I was concerned by a wound on the inside of his front left leg and the inside of his back left leg." A vet who examined Charlie estimated the wounds on his legs to be of varying ages, some a fortnight old and others approximately a week old, concluding they were 'inconsistent' with ratting. The man told officers the scarring was the result of ratting. He also informed them that Champ, the dog he had taken to the vet, had been put down and buried on his property. Animal Rescue Officer Darryl Thomas stated that Ebenezer led them to a 'remote field on the top of a mountain' where he used an excavator to exhume Champ's remains. In his witness statement, officer Thomas added: "Using torches, the officers examined the deceased dog and I could see that this dog had what I would describe as a de-gloving injury to both sides of its lower jaw, and a chunk of its nose was missing." The veterinary surgeon who examined Champ's body reported injuries to his chin, nostril and ear, noting that the severe chin injury had occurred "at least two weeks prior to euthanasia", and that these wounds would have caused him "chronic pain and discomfort". The vet added, in his statement: "It is my expert opinion that clearly all three dogs - Twig, Charlie and Champ - were caused to suffer as a consequence of the injuries that they had sustained." In mitigation, the court heard that Ebenezer had professional experience working with animals and was held in high regard by his employer. The court also acknowledged his early guilty pleas.