A FROME pair have been banned from keeping animals for 20 years after a German shepherd puppy died.

Grzegoraz Zareba, 52, of Sunnybank Court, and 49-year-old Anna Bitner, of Coronation Road, admitted animal welfare offences at Bath Magistrates’ Court and were sentenced on October 30.

The charges came after the death of a dog, called Ira, of sepsis, following labour.

A vet contacted animal charity the RSPCA after being called to treat Ira in January 2024.

The couple told the vet Ira had gone into labour on Friday evening and had given birth to three puppies, but only two survived, with the labour then ending.

However, a post mortem revealed she had not passed all of her puppies, and died of sepsis as a result of internal bleeding.

Zareba and Bitner claimed Ira was fine until the Monday evening, when she suddenly appeared unwell, but failed to seek vet care.

She died on Tuesday morning.

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RSPCA Inspector Patrick Bailey, who investigated the case, said: “It is so upsetting to think about how she must have been feeling, emotionally and physically, as she endured such a prolonged, painful labour while she struggled to try and give birth, only to become fatally injured internally through her efforts.

“It is another sad example where money and profit appears to have been put before welfare and in doing so cost Ira her life.

“The couple’s decision not to seek veterinary treatment at any stage, even at the point when they felt Ira had developed an infection and did appear to be unwell, is completely unacceptable.”

The puppies were later found to be advertised for £1,000 each, which Mr Bailey said spokes “volumes about the incentive for ensuring their survival”.