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| Version 5 | Version 6 |
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| Stella the dog locked up by Devon police for two years without exercise | Stella the dog locked up by Devon police for two years without exercise |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A dog has been kept in a cage by police for two years without exercise, the BBC can reveal. | A dog has been kept in a cage by police for two years without exercise, the BBC can reveal. |
| Stella was seized in 2014 and has been kept in a 3ft by 9ft cage in Devon ever since. | Stella was seized in 2014 and has been kept in a 3ft by 9ft cage in Devon ever since. |
| Devon and Cornwall Police refused to give specific reasons why the dog could not be exercised. They said she was considered potentially dangerous. | Devon and Cornwall Police refused to give specific reasons why the dog could not be exercised. They said she was considered potentially dangerous. |
| A worker at the kennels said they were told by police not to exercise dogs held under the Dangerous Dogs Act. | A worker at the kennels said they were told by police not to exercise dogs held under the Dangerous Dogs Act. |
| Death row | Death row |
| A destruction order for Stella was passed by Torquay Magistrates' Court on 8 February. Her owner was given 28 days to appeal. | A destruction order for Stella was passed by Torquay Magistrates' Court on 8 February. Her owner was given 28 days to appeal. |
| What does it cost to kennel potentially dangerous dogs? | What does it cost to kennel potentially dangerous dogs? |
| The latest on Stella's story and other news from Devon and Cornwall | The latest on Stella's story and other news from Devon and Cornwall |
| Laura Khanlarian worked as an assistant at the private kennel used by Devon and Cornwall Police. | Laura Khanlarian worked as an assistant at the private kennel used by Devon and Cornwall Police. |
| She said Stella left her kennel twice during her stay, only for behaviour assessments. | She said Stella left her kennel twice during her stay, only for behaviour assessments. |
| Ms Khanlarian said: "We were always told not to exercise or go into a kennel with any dogs, regardless of character, that had been brought in under the Dangerous Dogs Act. | Ms Khanlarian said: "We were always told not to exercise or go into a kennel with any dogs, regardless of character, that had been brought in under the Dangerous Dogs Act. |
| "We were under no circumstances allowed to touch any of those dogs - which was hard. | "We were under no circumstances allowed to touch any of those dogs - which was hard. |
| "Animal welfare comes before anything, and that was my job. I don't believe I would be doing it properly if I would sit back and think that's OK. It wasn't OK - it's not OK." | |
| Stella's story | Stella's story |
| Stella, a pit bull-type dog, was seized after police visited her owner, Antony Hastie, in Devon on an unrelated matter in 2014. | |
| She was considered potentially dangerous because of her breed, her behaviour when police seized her and her behaviour in assessments. | She was considered potentially dangerous because of her breed, her behaviour when police seized her and her behaviour in assessments. |
| Court proceedings heard from Mr Hastie, who said there were no incidents of aggressive behaviour prior to her being seized. | |
| Evidence heard during the court case included video footage of Stella's behaviour after she had spent nearly two years locked in the kennel. | Evidence heard during the court case included video footage of Stella's behaviour after she had spent nearly two years locked in the kennel. |
| Mr Hastie attended court 11 times over Stella, but in February 2016 it was ruled she should be destroyed. | Mr Hastie attended court 11 times over Stella, but in February 2016 it was ruled she should be destroyed. |
| Kendal Shepherd, a vet of 30 years and animal behaviour expert, said: "It's terrible. It's unjustified. It's wasting huge amounts of money and it's not doing a single thing to prevent dog bites. | |
| "It's cruel. But it's what our system forces us to do." | |
| The RSPCA has created a guide to good practice for all police forces, which states: "Dogs must be provided with the opportunity to exercise away from their kennel at least once a day and this should be for a total of at least 30 minutes." | |
| 'Court process' | |
| Sgt Allan Knight, from the Devon and Cornwall Police dog handling unit, said the force has released dogs back to their owners during proceedings in the past. | Sgt Allan Knight, from the Devon and Cornwall Police dog handling unit, said the force has released dogs back to their owners during proceedings in the past. |
| He added: "There will always be some dogs, for whatever reason, that cannot go back, and cannot get walked by staff because of the danger they possess. | He added: "There will always be some dogs, for whatever reason, that cannot go back, and cannot get walked by staff because of the danger they possess. |
| "We are bound by the court process." | "We are bound by the court process." |
| The force declined to offer a specific explanation as to why Stella should be kept in such a confined area and refused exercise for the length of time she was. | The force declined to offer a specific explanation as to why Stella should be kept in such a confined area and refused exercise for the length of time she was. |
| The full story will be shown on BBC Inside Out South West on Monday 29 February at 19:30 and will be available on BBC iPlayer. | The full story will be shown on BBC Inside Out South West on Monday 29 February at 19:30 and will be available on BBC iPlayer. |