Blind toy poodle sold on Gumtree as part of scam operation
Shiny the toy poodle appeared to be the perfect pet until the new owner discovered she was blind and double the age advertised. A blonde beauty has been convicted for the fraud.
Macarthur
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Shiny the toy poodle was advertised on Gumtree as the perfect house companion — an energetic three-year-old, microchipped and a picture of perfect health.
However, what the advertisement failed to mention was, in reality, Shiny was as blind as a dingbat and seven years old.
For Ingleburn’s Jenna Heaslip, a 25-year-old former volunteer at Animal Welfare League, Shiny was part of her elaborate fraud operation which tugged on the heartstrings of victims, netting the blonde beauty thousands of dollars.
Court documents reveal a woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, viewed Shiny at Heaslip’s Ingleburn home last December and purchased the toy poodle for close to $1500.
Following the sale, the owner quickly noticed something just was not quite right.
“(The owner) observed this dog bumping into furniture, doors and walls and was unable to walk up and down stairs,” the police facts stated.
Two visits to a Campbelltown vet revealed all — Shiny was blind and more than double the age advertised.
When confronted by police in January, Heaslip said Shiny was not even her dog.
It was, in fact, her roommate Kelly’s pet that she was selling on her behalf.
Police were unable to track down any evidence of Kelly’s existence, who was said to have moved to Vietnam.
The 25-year-old was convicted in Campbelltown Local Court today for dishonestly obtain financial advantage by deception, placed on a two-year Community Corrections Order and ordered to pay the victim $1588 in compensation.
The Ingleburn woman was convicted in July for 10 similar fraud offences, where she lied about the age, breed and medical history of dogs and fleeced close to $5000 from nine victims sprawled across eastern Australia, including Newcastle, Orange, Canberra and Melbourne.
A Gumtree spokeswoman encouraged the community to be vigilant and report suspected illegal online activity.
“Animal welfare is a huge priority for Gumtree and that is why we work in collaboration with the government, law enforcements and animal welfare organisations on the issue,” she said.
