A BRIDGWATER man who admitted leaving his dog to suffer with untreated injuries has been sentenced.

Roy Busby, 59, of Bath Road, Bridgwater has been ordered to carry out 80 hours unpaid work after admitting that his failure to provide timely veterinary care for his lurcher Binks led to his suffering.

The elderly dog sadly had to be put to sleep by a vet because of the severity of his injuries after his owner delayed treatment for Binks after he was attacked by another dog in Busby’s home.

RSPCA inspector Marie Griffiths, who investigated for the animal welfare charity after concerns were raised about Binks’ treatment prior to his death, said: “Our pets are reliant on us and when an animal is injured it’s an owners duty to ensure they receive the veterinary care they need.

“It’s heartbreaking to think not only did Binks endure painful injuries but that he was left to suffer without the care he deserved.”

Busby was also ordered to pay £225 in court costs when he appeared before Taunton Magistrates Court on Thursday, August 23.

Emily Courtenay, Roy Busby's daughter, said she felt the conviction did not tell the whole story.

"Binks was an elderly dog,and he was attacked by one of our other dogs," Ms Courtenay told the Mercury.

"We put him onto a chair but we could not move him.

"We rang the vets to explain the situation and were told to keep him comfortable, give him codeine and water and encourage him to eat.

"We did that but we noticed he was deteriorating and so two days later we rang the vets again.

"We received a call back but it was out of hours and we could not afford the call out fee but said we would bring him down tomorrow.

"That evening we had gone out to see my grandfather who is aged 90, and when we got back Binks had tried to walk to the door and one of the other Collies had nudged him and caused him further injuries.

"He was at the vets within 15 minutes, we did everything in our power to save him.

"If we treated our animals badly we would not have been allowed to keep our other eight dogs.

"They are all healthy and go to the vets as soon as there is a problem."