Ayrshire pet sanctuary manager jailed for neglecting animals

The boss of an animal sanctuary in Ayrshire has been jailed for neglecting the dogs she was supposed to be looking after.

Zara Brown charged owners to take their dogs in to her Ayrshire Ark refuge in Patna, adopting the pets if they were unwell or if their owners could no longer look after them.

But the 29 year-old neglected the animals, failing to give then adequate food and water, leaving them in a derelict primary school with no lights and an overpowering stench of faeces and urine.

A number of dead animals were also found in a chest freezer by investigators

The full extent of her neglect was revealed last month during a hearing at Ayr Sheriff Court where she admitted causing unnecessary suffering to eight dogs.

Today, Brown was sentenced to seven months behind bards and given a lifetime ban on owning or working with any animals.

Commenting on the court case, Scottish SPCA Inspector Leanne McPake said, “I was horrified with what we saw in the school that night.

“As an inspector who deals with animal cruelty we expect to see horrible things, however this case was particularly harrowing and will stay with us for a long time.

“The conditions in which the dogs were forced to live were woefully inadequate.

“There was an overpowering stench as all the floors were covered in dog faeces and urine, and there was debris strewn in some of the rooms creating more hazardous and unacceptable conditions.

“On arrival we found nine dogs in various rooms tethered or caged, one dog was found dead and six others were discovered in a freezer.

“The dogs that were still alive were clearly malnourished and had no access to food or water.

“The Animal Health and Welfare Scotland Act 2006 includes the need for a suitable environment to be provided for animals, and as can clearly be seen from the photos this wasn’t the case.

“We are delighted that she has been handed a lifetime ban and custodial sentence. We hope that this sentence will act as a deterrent to others.