A selfish Leeds woman abandoned her dog in squalor for days while she took drugs

A Leeds woman has been banned from keeping dogs after leaving her pet alone at home for days with an infected eye while she went out to ‘do drugs’.

Nicola Taafe, 37, of Roberts Avenue in Leeds, had her home visited several times by the RSPCA following reports of a Staffordshire Bull Terrier called Milo being abandoned. A trial at Leeds Magistrates’ Court heard Taafe left Milo alone for at least three days while she went out to “get drugs”.

On 14 December 2022, Milo was captured by West Yorkshire Police after Taafe was reported missing. The condition of the dog’s eye was so bad that he needed surgery at the RSPCA Greater Manchester Animal Hospital.

Read more: Week of search ends in tragedy as man’s body pulled from River Aire

Taafe pleaded guilty to an offense under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and was sentenced at Leeds Magistrates’ Court on 13 May. Banned from keeping animals for ten years, sentenced to six months in prison suspended for 12 months, ordered to complete. 20 days of rehabilitation activity and ordered to pay £85 costs and a £154 victim surcharge.

Despite numerous visits by the RSPCA, Taafe proved difficult to locate. On 13 July 2022 RSPCA Inspector Joanne Taylor saw a dog in the front room of the property and posted wet dog food through the door as no one answered the door.

Two months later, RSPCA inspector John Gibson called and Taafe denied leaving Milo alone. When he returned on October 10, he heard a dog barking, but once again there was no answer at the door.

Get all the latest and breaking news from Leeds via Sign up for our newsletter here.

On December 12, RSPCA animal rescue officer Ollie Wilkes put tape seals on the front and back doors of the property after Milo was seen alone again. The officer returned the next day and the seals remained intact, proving that he had not been home all night.

Shortly after, on December 14, police went to her home as part of a separate investigation and found Milo. He lived in squalor, with feces strewn on the floor and no food or water left for the dog.

RSPCA Inspector Demi Hodby was contacted by police and managed to speak to Taafe on the phone. In a statement to the court, the inspector said: “The defendant told me that she was addicted to drugs and that she had let the dog take drugs.

“She said she was in a rehab program in Glasgow and wanted us to keep the dog for her until she could get him back. I explained that we do not offer a boarding facility and that because the dog had been left unattended for three years. days in which we started an investigation”.

According to a veterinary expert, the dog was suffering from conjunctivitis and entropion, a condition in which an eyelid turns inward and sticks to the eyeball. Milo had eyelid surgery, which left long-term scars.

In mitigation, the court heard that Taafe’s life was “chaotic” and that she suffered from poor mental health and an addiction to Class A drugs. The defendant refused to hand Milo over to the RSPCA, but the court made an order privation against it.

Speaking after sentencing, Inspector Hodby said: “We offered to rehouse Milo as the defendant was not at the address. He was given several opportunities to do so, but he would not leave us and leave the dog for long periods of time. the time when he was suffering from an eye condition”.

Milo has since made a full recovery while in the care of RSPCA Leeds, Wakefield and District Branch and is now looking for a new home for him. Animal care manager Megan Rattray said: “Milo is a great boy. He is very kind, with some funny quirks.

“Even his nervousness around new people, he shows so much love, affection and trust in those he knows. It’s always nice to get a good morning kiss from him.”