Woman gets 12 weeks in prison for allowing dogs to starve
A woman who allowed two dogs to starve to death has been jailed for 12 weeks, following a trial where she pleaded guilty to animal cruelty. The woman, Marianne Stribling, claimed she didn’t have enough money to be able to feed her dogs, so had to let them starve.
The two dogs, a collie and a German shepherd, were left in her back garden to starve.
The Magistrates’ Court in Devon told her that her causing such suffering to her dogs was such a serious crime that they were forced to hand her a custodial sentence. Had she not shown remorse and pleaded guilty to her actions, her sentence could have been six months, she was told.
Animal rights activists protested outside the Magistrates’ Court in Barnstaple where Marianne was being tried, and she had even received death threats for her actions.
Marianne (27) has also been banned from keeping dogs, or any animals, for life.
The RSPCA say this isn’t an isolated case as the credit crunch hits families hard, and they urge anyone who cannot afford to feed their dog to contact them for help and advice.
