A woman was fined £80 and given a community order after she tied a rock to her dog and left it in a river to drown

A woman has been fined just £80 after leaving her dog to die in a river by using a rock to weigh it down.

The woman claimed that an ex-boyfriend had actually been to blame for the incident, but then admitted causing unnecessary suffering to the dog, a 10 year old Belgian shepherd named Bella.

Charlene Latham appeared in court recently over the incident, which took place in January last year.

Her ex-boyfriend denied claims that he was to blame for the cruel incident, and the RSPCA did not have enough evidence to prosecute him.

Hypothermic and close to death

Bella was rescued from the river Trent in Farndon, Nottinghamshire last year.

A passerby noticed the dog and pulled her out of the water, before other people nearby brought towels to wrap up Bella, who was hypothermic and almost dead.

Bella was later brought to a vet, who said she would have died if not for the intervention of those who pulled her from the water.

Investigators were able to track down Ms Latham as the owner of the dog after vets scanned Bella’s microchip.

Mr Latham was given an £80 fine, plus a 12 month community order and a three year ban on keeping dogs by Nottingham Magistrates.

She will also have to pay £232 in charges, on top of the fine.

How is Bella now?

Since being rescued, Bella has made a full recovery at the RSPCA Radcliffe Animal Centre, where the manager is hopeful she will be able to be rehomed.

Manager of the Radcliffe Animal Centre, Ella Carpenter, said: “At times, we thought she wouldn’t make it, but Bella fought every day.

“We hope she can live out the rest of her life with the love and respect she deserves.”