A woman who kept cats and a dog in horrendous conditions at her Netherton home has narrowly avoided a prison sentence.
Gale Maitland was disqualified from keeping a dog for life when she appeared at Hamilton Sheriff Court this week.
Animal welfare officers found her cross- breed Milo confined to a small crate on the kitchen floor. Five cats were wandering about a house that was littered with food waste and animal faeces.
Maitland, 52, of Carbarns West, admitted neglecting her pets in March this year. Sheriff Shiona Waldron ordered her to do 240 hours of unpaid community work as a direct alternative to custody.
Abby Seal, prosecuting, said a postman tipped off the police, believing the house had been “trashed” as it was in such a state.
Police and SSPCA officers went to the house and found the door unlocked.
There was an overpowering smell of urine while animal faeces and half-eaten foodstuffs could be seen throughout the property. The house was infested with flies and strewn with bags of rubbish.
Maitland’s solicitor said she had been under pressure through work and caring for her father.
