A heartless man abandoned his dog and left the poor dog with a while potato stuck in its throat.
Stevenson Harrison, the man that we are talking about, failed to seek treatment for Benson, the poor puppy.
Vets also found a dishcloth in the stomach of the dog.
Teesside Magistrates Court heard that Benson was skinny, lethargi, and retching when a Good Samaritan found him.
The incident happened on February 4, 2019, but it was just recently disclosed to the public.
The dog was rushed to a vet and had to go through surgery, where doctors removed a dishcloth from the stomach of the dog.
During surgery, a potato was also found stuck in the throat of the dog.
This year, Harrison was found guilty of 2 animal welfare offenses and was sentenced to 6 weeks custody, and was suspended for 12 months.
Clare Wilson, an Inspector for the RSPCA, said:
When I first saw Benson he was skinny, lethargic and kept retching and coughing constantly. I could feel and see all of his ribs and his spine. It was late at night so I took him to a nearby vet surgery where staff were concerned that he had an obstruction. He was put onto a drip and given pain relief and medication to help with the sickness. Vets did lots of tests and x-rays showed a large obstruction in his chest cavity, behind the heart. He needed a special operation to remove it – and that’s when vets found a whole potato and dish cloth inside him. It was touch and go whether he’d survive the complex operation but, luckily, he pulled through.
It was found that the dog was vomiting for days and as a result of that, the dog was abandoned.
The dog is lucky to survive the entire incident, said Ms. Wilson.
The statement of Ms. Wilson added:
He was extremely poorly by the time we were able to get him the vet. He was lucky to survive. Poor Benson has a stricture in his oesophagus which means he will probably always need to be fed small amounts of food regularly so this incident has had a life-changing effect on him. He’s doing well otherwise though and is such a lovely dog that the animal centre staff who are caring for him are hopeful they will be able to find him the special home he needs and deserves when he’s ready.
Harrison was also ordered to do 80 hours of unpaid work as a result of the horrible thing that he did.
He has also been banned from keeping any animal for the next 7 years.
The court also asked him to pay a victim surcharge of £115.