A dangerous dog had to be destroyed by vets after it was hurt in an apparent fight with another pet, a court has heard.
Riffy Sharif, 28, of Stanford Road, pleaded guilty to charges of failing to get medical care for his pitbull-type dog Bison following a fight and for possessing a dangerous animal at Luton Magistrates Court on Monday.
The court heard how dog wardens were called to Stanford Road on the morning of February 3 after receiving reports of an injured stray roaming the street.
Wardens found Bison who was suffering from serious injuries to the head and behind his ear and later inspection by RSPCA vets found that the dog had both old and new injuries, some of which were severely infected and left “dripping with pus”. The dog was also found to have cellulitis, a serious tissue infection, in his leg. His ear, which was badly injured, was too painful to be examined without sedation – vets drained 12ml of pus from a large swelling on the ear.
Prosecutor for the RSPCA Janita Patel told magistrates that vetinary surgeons said that the injuries were “consistent with dog fights” and that the injuries “would have been obvious to anybody.”
She said: “If the wounds had been treated, it would have prevented scarring and pain, the suffering was of course unnecessary.”
The court heard how Sharif told dog wardens that he had planned to take the dog to Pets At Home in Dunstable later the same day that the dog was found wandering the streets.
In mitigation, Sharif said that he had been walking Bison late at night on February 2 when a Staffordshire bull terrier type dog attacked his pet.
He said that he was unable to separate the two dogs for 20 minutes and was left with cuts to his own hands as a result of trying to break up the fight.
He said: “I made a mistake by not getting the dog treated, I’ve not put any dog in a dog fight or ever had that intention.”
Sharif said that he was unaware that he was buying a dangerous animal when he purchased the pet online.
Magistrates told Sharif that due to the severity of the injuries suffered by Bison, they would consider Sharif’s sentencing in the “most serious category.”
He will be sentenced next Monday.