Couple filmed putting dog in bin bag before dumping in canal avoid jail

A couple who were caught on CCTV carrying a bin bag containing their elderly dog before throwing her into a canal have avoided jail. Terrence Boyd and his wife Sadie Boyd, who admitted a string of animal welfare offences, were captured on camera walking along Walter Street, Brierfield, carrying a black bag at around 9.05am on August 27 last year.

Other videos showed the pair heading towards the Leeds and Liverpool Canal before returning minutes later, after Maddie, an elderly terrier-type dog, had been dumped into the water inside the bag.

The horrifying incident only came to light after a dog walker saw the couple throw the bag into the canal and initially believed it contained clothes. But when the bag began moving and Maddie’s head appeared, a member of the public rushed into the water in a desperate attempt to save her. Maddie was pulled from the canal by Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service before being taken for urgent veterinary treatment by police. The dog was microchipped to Sadie Boyd’s address, and the couple were arrested at their home later that day.

At the property there also were seven kittens and a corn snake that were removed by police over welfare concerns. Maddie’s condition deteriorated at a veterinary practice in the days that followed and she was sadly put to sleep to prevent further suffering.

At Burnley Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday (June 24), Terrence Boyd, 34, and Sadie Boyd, 32, both of Walter Street, Brierfield, were each sentenced to eight weeks in custody, suspended for 12 months. They were also banned from keeping animals for 10 years after pleading guilty to two offences under the Animal Welfare Act relating to Maddie, the kittens and the snake.

The couple were both ordered to complete 20 Rehabilitation Activity Requirement Days and pay a victim surcharge of £154 each. They will not be able to apply to have their disqualification order terminated for five years. Magistrates were told the house was unsanitary with large piles of pet faeces seen upstairs and mice running around the kitchen.

In her written evidence to the court the vet who treated Maddie, said the dog was hypothermic, with a temperature of 33.2°C (91.8°F), and was was severely malnourished, with significant muscle atrophy.

The vet said Maddie also had severe dental disease and multiple puncture wounds to her neck. All seven kittens removed from the address were malnourished and some of them were urine-soaked.

In his interview with the RSPCA, Terrence Boyd said he had mostly no comment to make and there could be “hundreds of people” walking around with dark clothes and a beard in similar clothes. Sadie Boyd also said she had no comment and denied being at the canal that morning or owning the kittens.

Speaking after sentencing RSPCA Chief Inspector Nix said: “What happened to Maddie was horrifying and this incident was understandably the cause of great distress to people who were at the scene, the emergency services and the wider local community.

“It was heartbreaking that Maddie’s condition deteriorated and she ultimately could not be saved. I hope people will take some small comfort in the fact that those responsible for this shocking incident were able to be held to account for their actions and will not be able to keep animals for the foreseeable future.”