Man jailed after dogs left starving and drinking from toilet in Rotherham flat

Jordan Brown, 26, from Rotherham, was sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court after being prosecuted by the RSPCA following an investigation by the animal welfare charity.

The court heard Brown had pleaded guilty to two offences contrary to the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and was also disqualified from keeping animals for ten years.

RSPCA Inspector Jennie Ronksley attended the flat on May 13, 2025, following a report that two dogs — a young German Shepherd-type called Sirius and a bull breed called Knox — had been left unattended inside.

One of the dogs was believed to be dead.

As officers approached the property, they noticed a strong smell of faeces.

Looking through the letterbox, Inspector Ronksley saw a bully-type dog standing over a black German Shepherd lying on his side, clearly dead, with faeces and fur covering the hallway floor.

With the assistance of police, the RSPCA entered the property.

In her written statement to the court, Inspector Ronksley said of the deceased dog: “His body condition was poor and his bones were easily felt, even beneath his dense fur.

“He had obvious wounds to his neck and other areas of his body but it was impossible to say whether this was the cause of death, particularly given his poor bodily condition, the lack of food and water and the allegation that the dogs had been unattended for a few weeks.”

She added that the hallway and kitchen were littered with faeces and clumps of fur, and that a large black training crate was empty apart from trodden-in faecal matter.

A cable tie was found hanging loose from the kitchen door handle, and empty, overturned bowls were discovered throughout the address.

Inspector Ronksley said: “There were empty and overturned bowls on the floor throughout the address, four in total, but all were empty and bone dry. So too were the bath, the sinks and even the toilet bowl. The dogs had no access to drinking water at all or any food source.”

Knox, who was clearly underweight with visible bones, was removed as evidence by police.

The inspector was told by members of the public that Brown had not been seen for a “few weeks” and that screams and yelps had been heard the previous night, leading them to believe one of the dogs was being attacked by the other.

A vet who examined six-month-old Sirius said he had a matted coat with dried faeces and several puncture wounds.

A post-mortem found foreign material in his stomach and concluded the injuries were most consistent with a bite injury from another dog.

The vet said Brown had failed to take reasonable steps to prevent pain, suffering and distress, and that Sirius had suffered “for a number of weeks” from reduced or inappropriate nutrition.

Two-year-old Knox was described as being “severely underweight” and given the lowest possible body condition score, having also suffered malnutrition for the same period.

Brown was jailed for eight months for each animal welfare offence, to run concurrently. He was also sentenced to 30 months’ imprisonment, to run consecutively, for drug offences.

In mitigation, the court heard Brown was a cocaine user who was unable to provide for himself, let alone the dogs, and that he was deeply ashamed and remorseful.

Sentencing him on Tuesday (Jan 6), the judge said: “They were both in skeletal states.

“This wouldn’t have happened if the dogs were not left alone or if the dogs were not starving.

“Anyone who understands the faithfulness and loyalty of a dog will be disgusted in how you treated these dogs.”