Ipswich woman Lisa Knudsen guilty of shocking neglect causing death of family dog at Goodna

A South East Queensland woman has pleaded guilty to a shocking crime that resulted in the heartbreaking and brutal death of a Rottweiler named Cujo, but she still has many animals in her care.

Almost three-year-old Rottweiler-cross Cujo died in an excruciating and painful manner after he was left tightly chained in almost 30 degree heat with no water or shelter.

Cujo’s owner Lisa Knudsen, sat in her Goodna home on Friday, April 24 2020, while Cujo died of strangulation and heart stress.

An Ipswich court heard Cujo was chained to a tap on the side of the housing commission property tighter than usual by Knudsen’s partner because he had kept escaping.

Knudsen also failed to treat an injured native bird she “rescued” then kept for weeks with a “significant” broken wing.

The galah was seized and was in so much pain it had to be euthanised.

RSPCA prosecutor Liza Marshall told the court there was no reason to tie the dog up because Knudsen had a fully fenced back yard, it just hadn’t been mowed in a long time so the grass was too long.

“He died in horrific circumstances as a result of (Knudsen’s) lack of care,” Ms Marshall said.

“He was tethered for a significant period of time… he was found deceased with the chain wrapped around his neck a few times.

“He was suffering from an extreme flea burden, had several dry (friction) wounds on his body… and the skin was also sloughing, indicating extreme heat stress.

“It’s clear the animal’s suffered.”

A young Rottweiler and wild galah both died due to neglect.

Ms Marshall said Knudsen’s boyfriend and co-accursed Barry Bond took Cujo’s body to the RSPCA, and when an inspector went to the property days later he was told the dog had been chained for weeks and wasn’t happy.

“He was doing u-turns and twisting around on the chain,” Ms Marshall said.

“(Knudsen said) it was a freak accident. In my submission it was an entirely foreseeable and likely consequence that befell this dog.

“If you are going to leave a dog tethered it is incumbent on the person responsible to make sure water is left in a container that cannot be knocked over.”

Ms Marshall said Knudsen refused to take accountability by pleading not guilty in the past which forced a full brief of evidence to be compiled, and said the dog had been bitten by a snake, then later said Cujo was baited.

“Neither were true, he had been examined,” she said.

Despite pleading guilty in January, 2022, while the RSPCA read submission, Knudsen wept and profusely muttered in disagreement forcing the magistrate to stand down the matter while Barrister Scott Neaves spoke to Knudsen.

Mr Neaves said the mother of three was on a disability pension and was instructed there was indeed a need to chain the dog - to prevent it from escaping and being hit by a car.

The mother was heard to say that the proceedings were unfair and the “whole system is corrupt”.

In regards to the galah, Mr Neaves said the 44-year-old hoped to nurse it back to full health and feared it would have been put down if it had been taken to a vet.

“She is particularly saddened by what has occurred and while she pleads guilty, (and) in the circumstances has a role to play, her sadness goes towards a mitigation that like offending is very unlikely,” he said.

Acting Magistrate Seaholm put it to the mother that she wouldn’t treat a child in the way she did Cujo so why would she subject a dog to such horrendous treatment?

Knudsen pleaded guilty to failing to provide her dog water, failing to provide her dog appropriate living conditions/shelter, failing to provide appropriate treatment to a galah, and was sentenced to two years’ probation.

Knudsen will have to get approval from the RSPCA to care for animals and the court heard is currently looking after two cats, a staffy and a bird.

No conviction was recorded.

Mr Bond will have his case heard at trial in May.