A husband and wife are facing jail after admitting the “appalling” neglect of their sheep dog, which saw him become trapped in a two stone ball of his own hair.
David and Marjorie Massey pleaded guilty to two counts of causing unnecessary suffering to 10-year-old Floyd, the Express revealed.
Animal cruelty officers say Floyd’s suffering was “incomprehensible”, a sentiment echoed by vets who spent four hours cutting him free from the mass of matted hair.
Underneath the hair, Floyd was covered in cysts and sores and was so ill and distressed, he had to be put down, the Daily Mail reported.
The Masseys claim they were too embarrassed to go to a vet – leaving their pet with a filthy, mangy coat, two-inch long toenails, eye and ear infections and an untreated tumour in his mouth.
But Bedford magistrates warned the pair they could be thrown behind bars for their cruelty.
The couple were investigated by the RSPCA after the animal was found tied to a gate at Wood Green animal shelter in Cambridge, last year.
They had owned him since he was a puppy but had kept him groomed and well-cared for until a year ago, The Sun said.
The pair claimed they had used professional groomer previously, but could no longer afford it, leading to the neglect.
Shelley Brooker, head of animal welfare at Wood Green, told the Biggleswade Chronicle: “All the staff worked extremely hard to ensure that Floyd received the best love and attention that we could give him but sadly because of his age and many ailments, we were unable to make him comfortable enough to guarantee a reasonable quality of life.”
The case was adjourned for sentencing on February 8.
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Floyd was trapped in a two-stone ball of his own hair
It took vets four hours to free the ten-year-old sheepdog from his matted prison