Zakar Ahmed, a 32-year-old man from Birmingham, has avoided an immediate jail sentence after starving a dog to death and neglecting another animal in his care. Ahmed brought the significantly underweight body of his pet shepherd dog, Mishka, into a veterinary practice after allowing the animal to die of starvation.
Vet details prolonged suffering of Mishka
The veterinary surgeon who examined Mishka concluded that the dog would have been weak, hungry, in pain, and suffering mentally for approximately ten weeks "before collapse and eventual death". The RSPCA was alerted to the case following this examination, prompting an investigation into Ahmed's treatment of his animals.
When RSPCA investigators visited Ahmed's address on Foley Road in Birmingham, they discovered an underweight male shepherd dog named Zeus in the back garden. Zeus was tied to a fence by a 2.4 kg metal neck chain and had access only to a small plastic kennel that contained no bedding inside.
Zeus found in poor condition and later euthanised
Police seized Zeus and placed him into the RSPCA's care. A veterinary surgeon who examined the dog stated in a statement read out at Birmingham Magistrates' Court that Zeus was underweight, with a very low body condition score of two out of nine. The vet attributed the dog's suffering to Ahmed's "failure to keep him healthy and protect him from pain, suffering, injury and disease".
The vet added: "Starvation can have very serious physical and mental consequences." Zeus displayed concerning behavioural issues that persisted despite improvements in his physical condition while under the charity's care. Staff were unable to rehabilitate Zeus's behaviour, and the dog had to be euthanised due to his ongoing mental suffering.
Ahmed sentenced to suspended custody and animal ban
Ahmed, of Foley Road, Birmingham, pleaded guilty to four animal welfare offences. On August 6, he was sentenced to eight months custody, suspended for two years. The court also imposed a 25-year ban on keeping animals and ordered Ahmed to complete 250 hours of unpaid work.
RSPCA Inspector Ben Jones, who investigated the case for the animal welfare charity, said: "Ahmed's offending involved multiple animals. This was prolonged and avoidable suffering which resulted in the death of an animal." In mitigation, Ahmed apologised and stated that he had been experiencing personal difficulties, having previously taken the dogs from a homeless person.
