BBC
A former footballer has been jailed for eight weeks after admitting causing unnecessary suffering to his pet French bulldog.
The dog was left with untreated ear masses – one of which was so severe it could have been growing for a year.
Cortez Marvin Belle, 38, from Orb Drive, Newport, a former Newport County and Chester City player, has also been banned from keeping animals for life.
Newport Magistrates’ Court heard of Tinkerbell’s “prolonged neglect”.
Belle said he could not afford to pay for treatment, but the court heard Tinkerbell had had two litters of puppies, with each dog selling for about £1,500.
After concerns were raised, RSPCA officer Isobel Burston visited in August, and described a smell of “rotting flesh” in the house, with a “tennis ball-sized growth” dangling out of Tinkerbell’s left ear.
Ms Burston said: “The growth looked wet and had debris and hair stuck to it in some areas, and open sore-looking yellow patches underneath.”
Belle told the officer he had taken Tinkerbell to see a vet but had been told she would need very…
