A 72-year-old Old Reynella woman has faced court after being charged under SA’s Animal Welfare Act with 45 counts of animal ill-treatment after inspectors found she had taped the faces of two German Shepherds, which led to them having to be euthanised due to severe infection.
RSPCA South Australia received a cruelty report on 15 January expressing concern for nine German Shepherd dogs believed to be living in poor conditions at the defendant’s property. Of particular concern was a German Shepherd alleged to have been “heard screaming”, prompting two visits from RSPCA SA Inspectors.
“The defendant was present for only one visit and would not allow the Inspectors inside to view the dogs’ living conditions but offered to bring the dogs out onto the front garden for review. The Inspectors declined as it would not amount to an accurate investigation. The defendant provided the Inspectors with her mobile number for follow-up before they vacated,” RSPCA SA stated.
On 7 February, the RSPCA received another cruelty report – this time concerning German Shepherd dogs that were alleged to have been neglected at a property in Bowhill.
“It was reported that the dogs were locked in sheds, underweight with no access to water, and that the resident had not been seen at the property for a week. A mobile number for the resident was provided in the report and Inspectors discovered that it matched the number linked to the Old Reynella report,” the RSPCA SA stated.
Three days later, RSPCA Inspectors attended the Bowhill property and were deeply disturbed to find two German Shepherds with significant facial injuries.
They say one dog had black electrical tape wrapped around and stuck to its muzzle, causing severely infected wounds on its face.
“Though the second dog was not taped at the time of the inspection, its facial injuries were so serious from alleged previous tapings that the flesh was peeling away from the bottom of its jaw and the bone on top of where the muzzle would have been taped was exposed. In addition to this shocking discovery, Inspectors located nine other German Shepherds, including a four-week-old puppy, all living in
their own waste with minimal access to water.”
The Inspectors seized all 11 dogs and transported nine of them to RSPCA SA’s Animal Care Campus at O’Halloran Hill for veterinary review. The two dogs with facial injuries were transported to the Small Animal Specialist Hospital (SASH) at Kent Town for urgent veterinary attention. Sadly, the severity of the dogs’ facial injuries resulted in them both being humanely euthanised.
On 11 February, RSPCA Inspectors returned to the Old Reynella property with SAPOL officers, and the defendant appeared to not be home.
“Executing a search warrant, a locksmith unlocked the front door before it was immediately locked again by the defendant, who was in fact inside. After resisting entry, hindering the inspectors in the performance of their duties, the defendant finally exited the home,” the RSPCA SA stated.
The Inspectors found 15 German Shepherds, including four neonatal puppies in various rooms of the property, which was filthy and covered in rubbish, dog faeces and urine. 15 German Shepherds were seized and transported to RSPCA’s Animal Care Campus at O’Halloran Hill for review and treatment.
Inspectors say most of the dogs seized from both the Bowhill and Old Reynella properties were underweight and suffering from a range of health conditions including skin lesions, ear infections and dental issues. The defendant agreed to surrender seven dogs to RSPCA SA.
RSPCA SA applied for forfeiture of 23 animals, which is listed for argument on May 14th at the Christies Beach Magistrate Court.
Under SA’s Animal Welfare Act, the maximum penalty for animal cruelty is $20,000 or two years’ imprisonment. For an aggravated cruelty offence, the maximum penalty is $50,000 or four years’ imprisonment.
Members of the public who witness animal cruelty or neglect are urged to make an online report or call RSPCA’s cruelty report hotline on 1300 477 722 (open 6:30am-6:30pm).
