A pet dog has been kept in a cage by the Devon and Cornwall police for two years without giving it an exercise. The pitbull-type dog named Stella was held for being "too dangerous" because of its illegal breed.
BBC News reported that Stella was seized by the police in 2014 for violating the 1991 Dangerous Dogs Act. After a string of appeals by its owner Antony Hastie, the Torquay Magistrates' Court has ruled in February that Stella should be destroyed.
The police have been accused of animal cruelty after keeping Stella in a tiny cage without exercise for two years. The police have reportedly ordered workers at the private kennels not to exercise any dog held under the 1991 Dangerous Dogs Act, regardless of its character.
The treatment has contradicted the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals guidelines, which state that "dogs must be provided with the opportunity to exercise away from their kennel at least once a day." However, the Devon and Cornwall Police refuted that handling Stella's exercise is too dangerous for the kennel's staff.
"During this time Stella, an illegal breed that had to be seized, has been the only dog deemed too dangerous to walk due to her aggressive behavior," the Devon and Cornwall Police said in a statement. "Once the dog was seized, an initial review was made in which the decision was reached that Stella was too dangerous to be exercised by kennel staff."
The department stated there is a need to balance the welfare of the animal and the safety of the kennel staff. They also assured that "the dog has had continual kennel enrichment with staff and remained in fine and fit condition throughout".
In an article of The Guardian, Dogs Trust, UK's largest dog welfare charity, questioned the decision of the department. "Dogs Trust is horrified to hear that Stella was reportedly caged for two years without exercise because she was deemed too aggressive to be exercised by handlers," the organization said in a statement.
"While we do not know the exact circumstances around this particular case, we do feel that the courts should make an effort to expedite their proceedings in situations such as this," the charity stated. "Dogs Trust would question why any dog should be held captive for prolonged periods, particularly when for some the court decision is a destruction order."
