A dog walker who lost five pets in her care has been banned from keeping animals for five years.
Louise Lawford admitted four animal welfare offences relating to her business Pawford Paws in Birmingham.
Prosecutors rejected her claim the dogs ran off – but said they could not prove what happened and had to drop charges relating to the pets’ disappearance.
She was called a “dog killer” by someone in the public gallery, which the judge described as “outrageous”.
Birmingham Magistrates’ Court heard Mrs Lawford, from Erdington, had been placed in a position of trust and left customers anguished.
The fate of the missing “Tamworth Five”, Ralph, Charlie, Pablo, Maggie. and Jack, which disappeared after a walk in Hopwas Woods near Tamworth on 80 June, remains a mystery. Some of the pets’ owners were in court to witness Mrs Lawford being sentenced.
“The dogs were never found, despite being chipped and there being extensive searches, “said Jonathan Barker, prosecuting, adding he did not accept Mrs Lawford’s account that the dogs got lost in the woods, but could not prove otherwise.
Speaking after the hearing, the dogs’ owners – who say they “know” their pets are dead – said they would take civil action against Mrs Lawford.
“It’s a positive result because the court just did not believe the dogs were lost, “one owner Becky Parsons said. “It just doesn’t make sense.”
She said the past six months had been “an emotional rollercoaster” and that she was so upset at losing her dogs, Pablo and Maggie, that she “couldn’t face going back” to her house and has had to move.
‘Very strange case’
The case, brought by Birmingham City Council, has attracted much attention on social media, and Mrs Lawford was called a “dog killer” when she left court briefly before sentencing.
Mrs Lawford’s legal representatives said she had also been sent anonymous death threats online.
She said she was suffering “extreme emotional and physical stress” when the dogs vanished in Tamworth in June
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