A 28-year-old woman has been charged with animal cruelty after allegedly failing to seek vet care for her Jack Russell-terrier who had sustained life-threatening injuries during a fight with her other dog.
RSPCA WA inspectors interviewed the Kenwick woman in August after WA Police had removed the injured dog and taken him to a nearby vet for immediate treatment.
The accused advised inspectors the Jack Russell terrier had been in a fight with her other dog and once she broke it up, the injured dog would not get up off the ground.
She said she knew he needed treatment for his injuries but ‘just kept checking on him’. She wrapped him in a blanket and he did not move, eat, or drink in the two days between the incident and being removed by police.
A vet at Kenwick Veterinary Hospital said the dog was suffering from hypothermia, had multiple significant open dog tooth-sized wounds to the neck and shoulder areas, bruising on his throat, had a dangerously low heart rate of 20 beats per minute, and likely had a brainstem injury.
He was unconscious and nonresponsive and in the decompensatory phase of shock due to organ dysfunction and irreversible damage to tissue.
The accused refused to surrender the dog, so he was seized and transported to Perth Vet Emergency for overnight monitoring. That evening, the dog was humanely euthanised as a result of his extensive injuries and unlikelihood of ever returning to normal function.
The accused was charged under sections 19(1) and 19(3)(h) of the Animal Welfare Act 2002. RSPCA WA will allege she was cruel to an animal in that the dog suffered harm which could have been alleviated by her taking reasonable steps.
The maximum penalty for a charge of animal cruelty is a $50,000 fine and five years in prison.
The charges will be heard in Armadale Magistrates Court on 13 December.
The RSPCA relies on the community to report incidents of suspected cruelty and neglect. Report cruelty 24/7 on 1300 CRUELTY (1300 278 358) or at rspcawa.org.au
