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A woman has been handed a suspended prison sentence after she failed to meet the needs of 2 dogs, 1 of which was found dead.

Jane Veronica Skelland (22/08/1968), of Aspinall Street, Prescot, pleaded guilty to two offences under the Animal Welfare Act.

The 1st offence was that she failed to ensure to meet the needs of a male brown Shih Tzu called Teddy in 1 or a combination of the following ways; his need for a suitable environment, need to be protected from pain, suffering, injury and disease due to a lack of coat care resulting in excessive matting, need to be maintained in an appropriate body condition and the need for adequate care and supervision.

The 2nd offence was that she failed to ensure to meet the needs of a male Merle French Bulldog called Paddy in 1 or a combination of the following ways; his need for a suitable environment, need to be housed with or away from other animals, but knowingly housing with a dead dog; and the need for adequate care and supervision.

Teddy; a deceased matted dog, had been discovered inside a:- “cramped, filthy cage” with a 2nd dog; Paddy. This discovery took place during a mutual property exchange, and once let out, Paddy reportedly escaped and ran away, but was later returned to the owner.

At sentencing at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court, on:- Wednesday, 22 April 2026, Skelland was handed 12 weeks imprisonment for the 1st offence and 8 week imprisonment for the 2nd offence, which will run concurrently. The sentence was suspended for 12 months.

Skelland was also disqualified from keeping all animals for five years. She was also ordered to carry out 15 Rehabilitation Activity Requirement Days and has to pay a victim surcharge of £154.

In a written statement from RSPCA Animal Rescue Officer (ARO) Melanie Froude she said that she was called to:- Wingate Road, Kirkby, on:- Friday, 8 August 2025.

On the pavement was a black sack, and she was informed that there was a dead dog inside.

ARO Froude said:- “I opened the black sack to find a deceased small light brown dog that appeared to be of Shih Tzu type, The dog had been triple bagged inside three separate black sacks. Within the final sack, alongside the dog, was a large amount of dried faeces and three small empty metal food bowls. I could see an extensive amount of matting on the dog’s fur; it was difficult to tell which end was the head. I could also feel ribs, spine and hips, which appeared to be very prominent, with little to no fat covering.”

The dog’s body was taken to a vets and the following day RSPCA Inspector Anthony Joynes attended and was present during the examination of the body.

In a written statement, he said it was difficult to make out her breed because she was so:- “severely matted.”

RSPCA Inspector Anthony Joynes explained:- “The paws were not visible due to large, tight matts of fur. The body was covered in large amounts of faeces throughout, and there was a strong smell coming from the carcass. The body, face, neck and legs were completely matted, and I suspect this would have made it very difficult for the dog to move around as well as eat and drink when he was alive. Underneath the thick matting, the dog was in extremely poor body condition with no obvious muscle or fat palpable. The hips, ribs and spine could be felt with ease next to the skin, and the carcass weighed 4.3 kgs, which included a large amount of fur and matted faeces. A number of grossly overgrown nails could be seen protruding from the matted paws.”

The following day Inspector Joynes said he attended Aspinall Street and met Jane Skelland, who confirmed she was the previous occupant of Wingate Road and that she was the owner of the dog Teddy that had been recovered from outside the address.

He said that Skelland stated she thought Teddy had gone blind and she had needed to place his bowl under his face so that he could eat and drink. She added that Teddy had had a fit and died on:- Friday, 8 August 2025, in the morning and said she had not been able to afford treatment.

Inspector Joynes said Skellend had managed to recover the escaped dog (Paddy), and he was present at the flat. He said:- “He was slightly underweight with ribs and hips visible and was dirty/scabby around his groin.”

Paddy was signed over to the RSPCA with Skelland stating that she had been looking to rehome him.

In a statement from a vet who examined the evidence from the case, it was said that both dogs were kept in an unsuitable environment, with Teddy having an unkempt coat (matted and unhygienic), overgrown nails, dental disease, and poor body condition. Following sentencing, Inspector Joynes said:- “This was a very tragic case. All animals deserve to be treated with kindness and should have their needs met.”

Liverpool (Gladstone)

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