Former GP banned from keeping cats and dogs for two years

Summarised from 3 outlets · Updated 28 Oct, 13:33 · Archive

A former GP has been disqualified from keeping cats and dogs for two years after inspectors found her pets living in squalor.

A former GP has been banned from keeping cats and dogs for two years after RSPCA inspectors discovered severe animal neglect at her home near Peterlee in County Durham. Nicola Stirk kept two dogs and two cats in conditions where faeces, urine and rubbish covered the floors throughout most of the property.

RSPCA Inspector Rowena Proctor visited on 3 February after concerns the situation had worsened. She described a filthy property where a sofa had been chewed by the dogs to the point of being unusable. Rubbish was piled several feet high in a spare bedroom. The inspector noted in her statement that faeces appeared 'in almost every single place you could look' and that the smell inside was 'dreadful'. A bathroom litter tray was surrounded by a build-up of faeces.

The RSPCA had previously warned Stirk about deteriorating conditions at the property, and a follow-up visit had initially found improvements. However, the February inspection revealed the situation had deteriorated again. Stirk's two-year disqualification from keeping cats and dogs is now in effect.

How it is being reported

• Inside filthy home as former GP sentenced for letting cats and dogs live in squalorAn RSPCA officer described the filthy conditions and the dreadful smell inside the house in County DurhamTeessideLive · 28 Oct, 13:27
• Ex-GP left pets in squalor in County Durham home with faeces 'everywhere you looked'A former GP has been banned from keeping cats and dogs for two years after RSPCA inspectors found faeces, urine and rubbish covering floors at her home.The Northern Echo · 28 Oct, 12:50
• Former GP let her pets live in squalor in house near HartlepoolA former GP has been disqualified from keeping cats and dogs for two years after letting her pets live in squalor at her home.Hartlepool Mail · 28 Oct, 12:41

In this story: Nicola Stirk · RSPCA · County Durham · Peterlee · Hutton Henry

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