Lismore dog owner who fought RSPCA told officers neglected pet would ‘die in a week’

The dog had serious health issues when it was seized by RSPCA officers, but the owner said his dog was “old” and “had been like this for a long time”.

A Girards Hill man has faced court for "severely" mistreating his dead father's dog.

The Northern Rivers owner of a neglected dog, who tried to fight the RSPCA charges against him, has been shut down in court.

Inia Waata Kidwell came before Lismore Local Court on Monday for an annulment application in regards to several animal cruelty charges against him, resulting in $2250 in fines and $2785.80 in RSPCA compensation.

Kidwell was seeking to reverse an April 12 sentence made by the court as he had not showed up during the original court date.

During that April date, he was convicted in absence of three counts of being in charge of an animal and failing to provide vet treatment.

Under the Prevention of Cruelty of Animals Act, the court ordered the custody of the dog be handed to RSPCA.

The charges related to skin, dental and eye neglect of a Maltese dog.

Court documents revealed Kidwell was charged following a cruelty complaint received by RSPCA regarding concern for the welfare of the pet under the ownership of Kidwell on December 15.

Following several in-person visits to Mr Kidwell’s Girards Hill address, where RSPCA officers identified the dog was indeed in trouble, RSPCA made phone contact with Mr Kidwell where he told them the dog was his father’s who had died in February and had “been like this for a long time”.

He also added the dog would “die in a week because it was old” before hanging up mid-conversation.

On December 21, RSPCA officers returned to the property to seize the dog.

Wearing body-worn cameras, officers noted Mr Kidwell become “abusive and aggressive” during the interaction and refused to take the seizure notice.

According to court documents, vet treatment confirmed the dog was suffering from “severe matting” from neck to tail and that underneath the matted fur, the dog’s skin was riddled with alopecia.

The pet’s eyes were also suffering from “severe inflammation of the sclera and conjunctiva with copious mucopurulent discharge” while some teeth were fractured with “purulent discharge” and required extraction.

On Monday, Magistrate Jeff Linden refused all three annulments applications.