A woman who left a bulldog in a faeces-strewn bathroom has been banned from keeping animals for 7 years after a prosecution by the RSPCA.

Laura Hill, (D.O.B 25/2/1988), of Windfield Road, Garston, Liverpool, appeared for sentencing at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court on 4 November 2026 after she was previously convicted in her absence of 1 offence under the Animal Welfare Act at a hearing on:- 27 August 2026.

The defendant was handed an 18-month community sentence during which time she will be on probation as well as under the jurisdiction of a 9-month Drug Rehabilitation Requirement, which includes mandatory drug testing. She was also fined £50.

The court heard how the dog called Little Fella was found in a very poor body condition in a squalid bathroom at Hill’s home.

The defendant had been advised to take the dog to a vet when she was visited by an RSPCA officer in November last year. But a housing association electrician carrying out installation work on 25 February this year discovered Little Fella standing in a bathtub in the bathroom covered in faeces and urine and reported the matter to the animal charity.

RSPCA Animal Rescue Officer (ARO) Fay Bowers and her colleague ARO Hana Yen attended the property on 4 March 2026 when the defendant agreed to let them take the dog to be seen by a vet at the RSPCA Greater Manchester Animal Hospital.

ARO Bowers said that Little Fella was:- “very underweight” with his ribcage and the top of his pelvis clearly visible.

The officer in a statement presented to the court, said:- “There were also 2 sores on the dog’s back end either side of the base of his tail. There was a very strong smell of ammonia inside the bathroom, a puddle of urine in the middle of the floor and several pieces of faeces scattered. There was a small amount of dry food on the floor, no water and no comfortable place to rest.”

The defendant told the officer that someone had broken into her home and thrown the dog, who she claimed was not hers, against a wall.

Little Fella was taken into the care of the animal charity and when he was examined at the veterinary hospital, he weighed only 21.2kg when an ideal weight for a dog his size would be 28kg. On a body condition score he was rated at 1 or 2 out of 9, which is viewed as very underweight. As well as the pressure sores, the dog’s nails were overgrown.

Little Fella underwent treatment and responded well to being placed on a feeding plan, such that by 25 March 2026 his weight had risen to 26.2kg.

A vet said the defendant failed to meet the dog’s needs for at least 2 weeks by not providing adequate nutrition and a hygienic and comfortable environment, which contributed to the development of the pressure sores.