Woman is banned from keeping animals after leaving her pets to rot

A Blackpool woman has been banned from keeping animals for a decade after failing to ensure the welfare of two dogs and a cat, following a prosecution brought by the RSPCA.

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Samantha Louise Forrester, 33, of Wolsley Road, pleaded guilty at Lancaster Magistrates' Court on August 5 to two offences under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.

The court heard that between March and June last year, Forrester failed to meet the needs of a male pug cross called Bruno, a female pug-type dog called Princess and a female cat named Narla.

RSPCA animal rescue officer Kelly Nix attended Forrester's former address in Lodore Road, Blackpool, on June 8 last year after concerns were raised about a pet which had been abandoned in a property.

In a statement to the court, she said: "Through the rear window I could see a tan-coloured pug-type dog with her head hung low, her ribs and spine clearly visible.

"She was so weak that she struggled to stand as her back legs were wobbly. The cat was very vocal and also underweight.