Roberts Avenue Harehills: Leeds woman abandoned dog in squalid home while she went to 'score drugs'

Nicola Taafe left the poor Staffie in the property on Roberts Avenue for extended periods on at least three occasions.

Police found the house strewn with faeces and without food or water for innocent pup Milo.

The 37-year-old owner also failed to get vet treatment for the dog, despite him suffering a serious eye infection.

Appearing before Leeds Magistrates Court on May 13, she pleaded guilty to one offence under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.

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It followed RSPCA officers making several visits to Taafe’s home after reports of a dog being left abandoned.

The court heard that there were at least three periods where the defendant left Milo unattended for up to three days while she went to “score drugs”.

Police officers seized the pup in December of 2022 after responding to a missing person enquiry relating to the defendant. The condition of the dog’s eye was so bad that he required surgery at the RSPCA Greater Manchester Animal Hospital.

The defendant proved difficult to pin down despite numerous visits by the animal charity. On July 13, 2022, RSPCA Inspector Joanne Taylor spotted a dog in the front room of the property. She posted some wet dog food through an open window as she couldn’t get answer after knocking the door.

Taafe denied leaving Milo unattended when RSPCA Inspector John Gibson called two months later. When the inspector returned on October 10, he could hear a dog barking inside the property, but there was no answer at the door.

RSPCA Animal Rescue Officer Ollie Wilkes placed taped seals on the front and back doors of the empty property after the dog was seen unattended again two months later. The officer returned the next day and the seals still remained intact.

Police later attended while undertaking an investigation and found Milo living in squalor. Floors were strewn with faeces and there was no food or water left for the dog.

RSPCA inspector Demi Hodby was contacted by the police and she managed to speak to Taafe on the phone. In a statement to the court, the inspector said: “The defendant told me she is a drug addict and that she left the dog to score drugs.

“She said she was in a rehabilitation programme in Glasgow and wanted us to keep hold of the dog for her until she was able to take him back. I explained we do not offer a boarding facility and that since the dog was left unattended for three days we had begun an investigation.”

An expert vet stated that the dog was suffering from conjunctivitis and entropion, a condition in which the eyelid turns in and sticks to the eyeball. Milo underwent corrective surgery on the eyelid to ease his discomfort, although he has suffered long-term scarring.

In mitigation, the court was told that Taafe’s personal life was “chaotic”. She suffered poor mental health and was addicted to Class A drugs.

The defendant refused to sign Milo over to the RSPCA, but the court made a deprivation order against her.

Taafe was handed a ban on keeping animals for 10 years and was given a six-month prison sentence, suspended for a year. She was also ordered to pay costs of £85 and a victim surcharge of £154.

Speaking after the sentencing, Inspector Hodby said: “We offered to rehome Milo as the defendant wasn’t at the address. She was given multiple opportunities to do this, but she wouldn’t let us and she left the dog for long periods of time when he was suffering from an eye condition.”

Thankfully, Milo has made a full recovery while in the care of the RSPCA’s Leeds branch, as the search for a loving home continues.