Hampshire woman who severely neglected eight dogs banned from keeping animals for 20 years

A woman from Gosport who neglected eight dogs has been banned from keeping animals for twenty years.Margaret Porter, of Dolman Road, Gosport, had been found to be caring for the animals, two of which had to be put to sleep and four others had to have a limb amputated.

The dogs were found with matted hair and rotten and missing teeth.

The RSPCA used CCTV to identify Porter as the owner of the animals, and the surviving dogs have now been rehomed.

Alongside the ban, which Porter cannot appeal for ten years, she was also sentenced to a 52 weeks suspended sentence.

Porter arrived at the RSPCA Solent Branch’s The Stubbington Ark on Saturday 16 July 2022 in a taxi with six dogs in carriers. She claimed the dogs belonged to her sister called "Theresa", who she said had run away, leaving them behind.

Porter then gave fake details to the rescue centre - said "she wouldn’t know" when asked if the dogs had been seen by a vet, and continued to claim that they had been owned by her sister.

Concerned staff at the centre rushed the dogs to a vet and got in contact with the RSPCA call centre to make an inspector aware of condition of the poodle terrier cross type dogs - Dustin, Hopper, Max, Ellie, Robin and Nancy.

Nearly a fortnight later, RSPCA officers were contacted by Gosport Borough Council who were concerned about dogs at Porter’s home, even though she wasn't allowed pets under her tenancy.

They said that a stray dog had been taken to a vet with two broken legs and that on the following day, Porter had contacted the council claiming she had found a different stray dog in Walpole Park, Gosport.

One of these dogs had two broken legs on the same side of the body - and officers believed the injuries were not accidental.

Porter was identified from CCTV footage and officers visited her home to try and establish if more animals were at the address. While there, two more dogs, named Poppy and Dante, were also rescued.

RSPCA Inspector Jan Edwards, who investigated for the animal welfare charity, said: "Dogs feel pain and suffering just like we do and always deserve to be shown kindness and compassion.

"Our plea to all animal owners is to make sure they always receive care and treatment from veterinary experts when they need it.

"They are completely reliant on their owners to ensure their needs are met and they are kept safe and healthy. Owning an animal is a privilege - and ensuring appropriate veterinary care is a key part of the responsibility we have towards them.

"If any pet owner is struggling to care for their animal we’d encourage them to reach out to a charity or organisation who can help."

The surviving dogs have now been rehomed by the RSPCA.

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