RSPCA confiscates puppy, rats and tropical fish from woman’s home

A woman prohibited from keeping pets has been slapped with another five year ban after a puppy, two rats and 66 tropical fish were found at her home.

A woman prohibited from keeping pets has been slapped with another five year ban after a puppy, two rats and 66 tropical fish were found at her home.

Caren Halliwell was ordered to stop keeping animals in 2014 but this week Moorabbin Magistrates’ Court heard she had continually ignored the ban.

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Outside court RSPCA prosecutor Wendy Gutteridge said more than 90 animals including cats, a malnourished goat, dogs, rodents, rabbits and fish had been confiscated from Halliwell’s property over the years.

“We don’t know how she gets her animals,” she said.

“I don’t know if it’s a wilful disregard or a lack of understanding. It’s a breach of a court order and the court takes that quite seriously.”

An RSPCA rap sheet details Halliwell’s many offences, which stem back to 2011 when an undernourished dog was found at her Chadstone home.

The 2014 banning order was later loosened to allow Halliwell, who has mobility issues, to own an assistance dog provided by an approved disability provider.

But the court this week heard this had not stopped her from continually breaching the court order and keeping animals.

Ms Gutteridge told the court another puppy was found at Halliwell’s address less than a month ago and was also taken into the care of the RSPCA.

Magistrate Jade Bott sought assurance from Halliwell that she understood she was not permitted to care for a pet.

“You understand there is an order in place,” Ms Bott said.

“The significance of that is you are not to breach the control order, that is you are not to possess any animals (as pets).”

Halliwell was sentenced to a two-year adjourned undertaking to be on good behaviour and her ban, which was originally due to expire in July this year, was extended for another five years.

Halliwell was also ordered to pay a $500 fine.

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