A couple from the seaside resort of Ostend (West Flanders) have been convicted of animal cruelty and sentenced to 50 hours of community service. They are not allowed to keep dogs for one year. The couple must also pay damages of 2,725.70 euros to the shelter that took in the dogs.
Last year, a French bulldog and a dachshund were discovered in emaciated condition at the family's home. ‘The animals were malnourished and suffering from hypothermia,’ says Fabrice Goffin, Ostend animal welfare alderman, who earlier served as animal shelter president.
‘The vets that treated Bailey and Marley said they had been kept without food for at least three to four weeks. That's how long a dog can survive without food, but then organs begin to collapse and muscle mass disappears until you end up with dogs in this condition.’