Edensor Park man convicted for cruelty towards pet dogs

A 37-year-old man from Edensor Park failed to appear at Fairfield Local Court on Tuesday 17 September 2019 in relation to five offences of animal cruelty against his two dogs.

The man was convicted in his absence and fined $2500 for each charge in relation to a failure to provide proper and sufficient food, failure to provide veterinary treatment for poor body condition, dehydration, severely fly-bitten ears and periodontal disease.

In addition to the fines the defendant was banned from purchasing, acquiring, or taking possession or custody of any animal for five years and ordered to pay veterinary costs of $3108 with moiety to RSPCA NSW. He was also ordered to report to police for the purposes of fingerprinting.

In a fact sheet tendered on sentence, the Court heard that at an inspection of the man’s property on 19 January 2019, an RSPCA inspector found two Staffordshire Bull Terrier crossbreed dogs, one tan and one brindle, with protruding hips, ribs and spines, sunken eyes and bleeding ears. There was no food, water or sufficient shelter available to the dogs.

The inspector immediately seized the pair, which she identified to be at high risk. The brindle dog collapsed and needed to be carried to the inspector’s vehicle.

No one was home, so the inspector left the property owner a notice to contact the RSPCA.

An RSPCA vet examined the dog and found that they were in poor body condition and required vet treatment for multiple concerns, had severe fly-bitten ears and suffered from dehydration.

After multiple attempts to contact the man, the RSPCA inspector interviewed him on Wednesday 13 February 2019. He said that he had owned the dogs since they were puppies. He noticed they were losing weight over a period of four months, and had not sought vet treatment for them.

He surrendered the dogs to the RSPCA. The tan dog unfortunately could not be saved and was humanely euthanised.

The brindle dog has thrived under RSPCA care and while he waits for his forever home, he is being cared for by wonderful foster carers. Meet Larry at the Sydney Shelter.

“It is always difficult to see animals in emaciated body condition seized by RSPCA inspectors. Anyone who finds themselves struggling to or unable to care for their animals, please contact your nearest RSPCA or animal rescue group. There are no excuses for allowing animals to suffer,” says RSPCA NSW Chief Inspector Scott Meyers.

Images available for download here.

All charges brought under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.

For more information, or an interview with a RSPCA NSW spokesperson, please contact:
Mobile:0488 905 353 | Email:media@rspcansw.org.au