Drunk dog owner, 38, left her pet Buster with horrific cigarette burns and unable to open his mouth

A DRUNKEN dog owner left her defenceless pet with cigarette burns on its skin and unable to open its mouth.

Buster, a cross breed, was found by the RSPCA with a severe ear infection, skin lesions and a jaw muscle condition at a house in Stockton, County Durham.

Nicola Poppleton, the owner, was drunk and started a fight with a group of people when an inspector turned up to look at her pet.

Poppleton was due to appear at Teesside Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday to answer four charges of causing suffering to an animal.

The 38-year-old failed to attend court but the charges, which date from January 15 to April 17, were found proved in her absence.

Stewart Haywood, prosecuting, told the court the RSPCA were called to the road where Poppleton lived, with Buster being found in “poor health”.

He said: “The officer noticed there were a number of lesions consistent with cigarette burns.

“There was muscle wastage to his head and he could barely open his jaw.

“The inspector tried to speak to the defendant, who was drunk.”

The inspector couldn’t speak with Poppleton at length because she got into a fight with a group of people “who were in a similar state”, MailOnline reports.

After further talks, Poppleton eventually let the RSPCA take Buster.

He was rushed to a vet who determined the dog had been suffering for about three months.

The court heard Buster couldn’t fully open his mouth, meaning he couldn’t properly regulate his body temperature.

Although the vet gave him pain killers, he was still only able to open Buster’s mouth about 3cm.

And the vet also found burns “consistent” with those of a cigarette.

But despite the findings, it couldn’t be determined if these were deliberate or accidental.

The magistrates’ bench found the case against Poppleton proved, and a warrant for her arrest was issued.

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