Edinburgh woman starved dog to death after leaving pets home alone for ten days

A woman who starved her puppy to death has been banned from owning animals for life.

Liza Telfer, from Edinburgh, pled guilty to failing to provide her one-year-old Old English bulldog, Bonnie, with adequate nutrition or obtaining veterinary attention, which caused her to die of organ failure.

Telfer also failed to provide food, water, and a suitable and hygienic environment to two Old English Bulldog-type dogs, Lady and Yogi.

The dogs were discovered after concerned members of the public reported three dogs being left alone on a property for at least ten days in November 2023 to the SSPCA.

Officers who visited the property saw “squalid, uninhabitable conditions” through the letterbox.

Scottish SPCA inspector Chalcroft said: “We visited the property and observed squalid, uninhabitable conditions through the letterbox. A faint dog bark could be heard from inside, but the dog itself was not visible.

“However, we did see a tri-coloured Bulldog at a second-floor window, appearing to be in lean condition.

“As we left, a chocolate and caramel-coloured Bulldog poked its head through closed curtains on the ground floor. This confirmed that there were at least three dogs inside the property.”

As Telfer was in the process of moving, the officers arranged to visit the property in the next couple of days.

When they returned to the property a few days later, Telfer and her son were uncooperative and refused them access.

Police Scotland was then contacted.

“A dog named Bonnie was brought outside from within the property covered in a blue blanket”, inspector Chalcroft said.

“She was emaciated, and her skeletal bones were easily seen; she was dead.”

Telfer’s son ran off with the other two dogs, Yogi and Lady, who both appeared extremely thin.

The dogs were handed over a few days later.

A post-mortem showed that Bonnie most likely died of organ failure associated with the severely malnourished state.

“The failure to seek veterinary attention will have resulted in stress and unnecessary suffering to Bonnie when she was alive,” Chalcroft added.

A vet examined the Lady and Yogi, who were both found to have suffered from a “lack of adequate nutrition” leading to weight loss.

“For both dogs, it would take a minimum of two to four weeks to deteriorate from a healthy body condition to the condition in which they were found.

“The living conditions for the dogs would have caused them fear, distress, and discomfort due to inadequate space, poor ventilation, lack of immediate outdoor access, no appropriate area for toileting, insufficient space to lie down comfortably.”

The animal welfare charity said it was “pleased” with Telfer’s ban on owning animals.

“To hear Bonnie’s last cries and have her handed over dead was extremely upsetting,” it added.

Telfer pled guilty at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on January 29 and was sentenced at the same court on Thursday, February 27.

She has been made subject of a community payback order for 18 months.