‘Extremely emaciated’: WA court delivers justice for five starved dogs
Four owners responsible for horror acts on their dogs have been convicted and banned from owning pets.
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Furious animal welfare authorities have called out four dog owners recently convicted of cruelty towards five dogs.
Four owners were convicted on cruelty charges towards five dogs in two separate cases in Perth Magistrates Court on Thursday.
The first matter saw a 39-year-old woman and a 25-year-old man fined $2000 each following the discovery of a severely emaciated dog inside the garage of their Rivervale, Western Australia address.
The magistrate noted that the offending warranted a heavier financial penalty but that the pair had limited financial means.
The second case involved a 45-year-old woman and her 23-year-old daughter. The family members were slapped with a $15,000 fine in relation to four starving dogs found in the backyard of a home in Wilson.
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The Rivervale pair were prohibited from owning or having contact with pets for a year, while the mother and daughter copped a three-year ban.
RSPCA WA Inspector Manager Kylie Green said the association had prosecuted on behalf of 24 dogs and cats who didn’t have access to sufficient food or water over 2022.
“The fact that owners are letting it get to the point where we can count every bone in their pet’s body is hard to comprehend and completely unacceptable.”
An RSPCA WA inspector attended the Rivervale property in April, where she uncovered a Shar-Pei named Boofy kept in the darkness of a garage.
His ribs, hips and spine were all visible, and he was reportedly “flat and lethargic”.
The male offender claimed Boofy was fed three times a day, seven days a week, but a vet exam found he was “extremely emaciated”, weighing just 15.2kg.
In the second case, during an inspection of the daughter’s Wilson address in May, investigators found four mixed-breed dogs, Tyson, Sheisty, Drip and Lucy, underweight with their ribs also clearly visible.
Tyson and Sheisty, who belonged to the mother, were in considerably worse condition than the other two.
The mother claimed she often visited and fed the dogs, but another vet exam found
both to be about 30 per cent underweight.
RSPCA WA is caring for the five dogs; collectively, they have gained around 35kg.
Ms Green said if finances impact dog ownership – help should be sought before the animal suffers.
“If you allow your animal to suffer, you will be held accountable,” she warned.
All four offenders were sentenced under numerous breaches of the Animal Welfare Act 2002.
The court ordered the Rivervale pair to pay $441.50 each in court and care costs while the mother and daughter were ordered to pay $1134.46 and $1993.46, respectively, in court and care costs and both were given spent convictions.
Reports of suspected cruelty can be reported to the RSPCA by calling 1300 CRUELTY, or online.
Originally published as ‘Extremely emaciated’: WA court delivers justice for five starved dogs
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