Crieff man kept pets, including five puppies, sick and malnourished in "slum"
Liam Fair has been allowed to keep some animals in his care following sentencing
A Crieff man failed to meet the needs of five puppies, three dogs and a kitten at his home, described as a “slum”.
The SSPCA found Liam fair was keeping the animals in delipidated living quarters in October 2022 – the puppies were also malnourished and ill.
A complaint had also been sent in about Fair uploading footage to social media of him encouraging his lurcher dog to bite and kill a domestic rat.
He can be seen holding the rat by the tail and hitting it off the dog’s face.
The SSPCA said it gained a warrant to Fair’s property after multiple previous visits and the release of the video footage.
Mud and debris were found all over the garden and there was a strong smell of urine inside the flat.
Five puppies were found in a pen suffering from diarrhoea and walking lethargically.
It was also discovered they had worms.
A Scottish SPCA Inspector said: “Due to the severity of the concerns within the footage, multiple previous visits, and a vet statement raising specific concerns, it was deemed necessary at this point to gain a warrant.
“We attended the property which had wooden boards covering two windows at the front of the house.
The garden immediately outside the premises was in a poor state, with mud and debris through-out. There was an old hutch, a dilapidated garden shed and what appears to be a wet wooden dog kennel with a chain attached and saturated bedding inside.
“No animals were seen here at the time.
“When walking into the flat there was a strong smell of urine.
“The flat can only be described as a slum with minimal personal possessions.
“Jax, a black lurcher type was loose within the premises along with Jock, a white lurcher type and a tan coloured staffie type dog.
“Within the sitting room there was a large puppy pen set up holding five young puppies.
“The puppies were walking around in their own diarrhoea with no clean or dry resting areas visible.
“We noted the puppies appeared to be walking lethargically, it was evident immediately that they were exceptionally underweight with pot bellies indicative of a large worm burden.
“Veterinary reports showed the five puppies were very small and significantly underweight for their age.
“The puppies were all weak and wobbly on their legs due to being severely under nourished.
“They were also suffering from severe diahorrea which can result in tiny puppies losing body condition very quickly.
“If this had continued much longer it would have resulted in dehydration and collapse, possibly death.
“We are devastated by the sentence Fair received. The sentence means he has been allowed to keep the eight animals currently in his care. “
Fair has been banned from keeping animals for 12 months – but is allowed to keep four dogs and four ferrets in his care, something the SSPCA says is "devastating".