An Ormesby woman has been handed an eight-year ban on keeping dogs after her five-month-old puppy suffered severe starvation and facial muscle wasting before having to be put to sleep on welfare grounds.
Kaitlyn Docherty, of Chathill Walk, Ormesby, was sentenced at Teesside Magistrates’ Court on 6 October 2026 following an investigation and prosecution brought by the RSPCA.
The court was told that Docherty presented her five-month-old brindle crossbreed puppy, Cocopop, to a veterinary surgery in April 2026. Staff described the puppy as being in a “floppy and lifeless” physical state upon arrival.
Subsequent clinical examinations revealed extreme emaciation, with significant muscle wasting around the head and facial structures, accompanied by protruding hip and skeletal bones. A veterinary assessment confirmed that the condition was the direct result of starvation over a prolonged period of several weeks, ruling out any underlying systemic illness or pathology.
Post-mortem and veterinary findings revealed foreign non-food matter in the puppy’s gut, indicating desperate attempts to scavenge for sustenance, alongside physical bruising and trauma consistent with repeated contact against hard boundaries or crate bars. While medical records showed normal development during routine vaccinations in February, no veterinary care had been sought between February and April 2026 as the animal’s weight plummeted. Due to the advanced level of physical suffering and emaciation, veterinary staff euthanised the puppy on welfare grounds.
RSPCA Inspector Clare Wilson stated: “It is heartbreaking to imagine what Cocopop endured during her short life. Earlier intervention could have offered a more positive outcome, with treatment beginning before her weight loss progressed to emaciation.”
Docherty admitted two statutory offences under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
Sentencing outcome and court orders:
Disqualification from keeping dogs for eight years, with a strict five-year embargo before any application for review can be lodged
An 18-month community order incorporating a mental health treatment requirement
150 hours of unpaid work in the community
An order to pay £1,578 in RSPCA prosecution costs and a £114 victim surcharge
Image – Anonymous Artist Impression
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