SPCA has prosecuted a Te Kūiti woman for severely neglecting her dog who was found emaciated, dehydrated and suffering from extensive health issues two years ago.
The owner of Sassy, a tan and white mixed-breed dog, was sentenced today after pleading guilty to failing to ensure her dog’s physical, health, and behavioural needs were met, by failing to provide proper and sufficient food, and failing to provide necessary veterinary treatment.
Waitomo District Council animal control officers attended the woman’s property in August 2023 and found Sassy unresponsive inside a kennel and run filled with faeces and rubbish.
“The condition Sassy was in was so extreme that officers at first believed she was deceased,” said the SPCA in a release.
“She was cold to the touch, unable to stand, and showing severe signs of distress.”
Veterinary assessment revealed she was severely emaciated, dehydrated and suffering from multiple ulcerative wounds, muscle waste and gastric ulceration.
Her condition was so critical that the veterinarian recommended immediate euthanasia as the sole means to prevent further suffering.
“A post-mortem examination confirmed prolonged starvation, dehydration, and extreme neglect over a period of weeks to months,” the release read.
SPCA chief executive Todd Westwood said Sassy endured “unimaginable” suffering that could have easily been prevented.
“Animals rely on their owners to provide them with the care they need, and Sassy was completely let down.
“It is heartbreaking to know she suffered so severely without receiving veterinary help. No animal should go ever through this.”
The owner admitted she was responsible for Sassy’s care and acknowledged that she knew the dog was deteriorating.
She said she should have taken Sassy to a vet, but said she couldn’t afford it.
She was sentenced to 280 hours community work and ordered to pay reparations of $1738 in veterinary costs. She was also disqualified from owning dogs for a period of 15 years.
