A Cheltenham couple who pleaded guilty to three counts of ill-treatment of an animal were sentenced in the Port Adelaide Magistrates Court today.
The 27-year-old woman and 47-year-old man were sentenced to six-month prison terms,
reduced by 30% because of their guilty pleas to four months, and suspended on an 18-
month good behaviour bond.
The charges under SA’s Animal Welfare Act were in relation to three dogs found in emaciated condition, with one of the dogs – a two-year-old Staffordshire Terrier cross
named Woodstock – in such poor condition he was close to dying.
The RSPCA SA inspector who rescued him described him as the coldest living mammal he had ever felt.
When seized, Woodstock weighed 12 kilograms and had a body condition score of 1/9,
indicating severe emaciation.
The defendants were convicted on a charge of causing Woodstock serious harm by failing to provide him with appropriate and adequate food.
One of the other dogs – a nine-year-old male Staffordshire Terrier cross named Spike – was
also emaciated. Spike weighed 14.1 kilograms and had a body condition score of 2/9,
while the third dog, a two-year-old mixed breed named Lily, was underweight and had a
body condition score of 3/9.
The dogs were found at the defendants’ Cheltenham property in July last year by an RSPCA
SA inspector responding to a cruelty report. When no-one appeared to be home, the
inspector looked over a fence to the backyard and observed both Spike and Lily in poor
condition.
The inspector returned to the property later that day accompanied by SA police officers
and a locksmith. Once again being unable to find anyone home, the inspector entered the rear yard where he observed the dogs’ only source of shelter to be a small shed filled with clothes. Both dogs were found to be flea-infested, and Spike was observed to have a small, open wound on his head and a distended stomach.
Unable to locate the third dog in the yard, the inspector gained access to the house with
the assistance of the locksmith. The house was in a state of squalor. On entering a small
living room, the inspector saw what he believed to be a deceased dog on a blanket on the
floor. However, the dog moved slightly as the inspector approached him.
So poor was Woodstock’s condition, the inspector feared the dog would not survive the journey to an emergency vet.
Woodstock and Spike required overnight care at the Small Animal Specialist Hospital
(SASH) in Kent Town. The examining RSPCA SA vet stated that both dogs were suffering
significantly and would likely have died within hours to days without immediate
hospitalisation.
In the Port Adelaide Magistrates Court today, Magistrate Mark Semmens described the case
as “the most serious dog matter I have seen in my 35 years as a Magistrate and a solicitor”.
“If you cannot afford them, you should not have them,” His Honour said.
“Surprisingly they all survived, but the suffering and pain must have been significant.
“This does not happen overnight… you should be deeply ashamed of this offending.
“The public conscious would be shocked were there any other sentence than imprisonment.”
After being put on veterinary-supervised refeeding programs and spending many months in
foster care, all three dogs eventually recovered and were adopted by their foster carers.
