11/02/2025
Woman who locked her staffy dog in a cold utility room leaving him to die hungry, frightened, alone and in pain has avoided a prison sentence.
Hannah May Smith, 28, previously of Parson Cross, Sheffield, and currently Skye Edge, Sheffield - abandoned her dog and left him to die hungry, frightened, alone and in pain.
Smith admitted she left Staffy Zeus in a cold and dirty utility room at a property in Colley Road, Parson Cross, in Sheffield.
The court heard Smith called the RSPCA herself, telling the charity she had last seen a "thin" Zeus alive with his spine and ribs visible in the locked room on January 4, 2024. She said she had given the dog food and water, and then left the property to go back to another address.
RSPCA Inspector Leanne Booth was given keys to the flat and visited the property with police on January 12, where seals had been placed over the locks the previous day to check if anyone had been visiting the property. They found Zeus dead in a "cold and filthy" room.
In a written statement she said: “I opened the door leading into the utility room, it was small with an external wooden door leading outside, there was no heating so it was quite cold.
"The floor was covered in a large amount of faeces, so much so that it was almost impossible to walk in the room without standing in it. Also mixed in with the faeces I noticed what looked like dry complete dog food.
“There were three silver dog dishes, one was overturned in the faeces, the other two were dry. Also in this room was a metal dog training cage. The door to the cage was open and there was a dirty blanket.
"Next to the blanket at the back of the cage was Zeus, he was already dead and in rigor mortis.
“He appeared emaciated, his ribs, hips, spine were visible as was the shape of his skull. The area of Zeus’ head that would usually have muscle was sunk in, so the shape of his eye sockets were clearly visible.”
During an interview Smith said she last saw the dog alive on January 4, and before that had seen him two days earlier.
She said since November 2023 another person had repeatedly said they would collect him from the flat but they had failed to do so.
She acknowledged he would not be able to survive without food or water and had suffered frightened and alone in his final days.
Sentencing | two-year community order, with 250 hours of unpaid work. ordered to pay £750 in costs and a £114 victim surcharge. Disqualified from keeping animals for 10 years.
