A 35-year-old Spalding woman has been charged with animal cruelty after she allegedly left her dogs locked inside her house without sufficient food for up to four days. RSPCA WA received a cruelty report about a male Jack Russell and two female terriers at the Spalding home in October 2024.
A City of Greater Geraldton ranger attended the accused's property to carry out a welfare check on the three dogs – they heard barking and detected a strong smell coming from inside the house but the ranger couldn't see the dogs through any windows. The accused could not be reached by telephone.
The ranger went back to the house the next day and this time she was able to see the dogs. Two of them appeared to be very underweight and one appeared to have a skin condition. The ranger noted a build-up of dog faeces and urine and could not see any food or water available. She was able to pour some water through a hole in the screen door for them to drink.
RSPCA WA inspectors attended the property and obtained an urgent warrant to enter the dwelling. The inspectors noted there was no food or water available to the dogs and there was a large build-up of dog faeces and dried urine throughout the house which appeared to have not been cleaned in weeks. There were no signs anyone was living in the home.
The three dogs were seized and transported to RSPCA WA's Animal Care Centre in Malaga for assessment and treatment.
The accused told inspectors she had not been at the property for four days but had left food and water for the dogs. She advised one of the female dogs was underweight because she had had a litter of puppies and the accused had not wormed her. She declined surrendering the dogs to RSPCA WA.
Upon assessment, it was found the male dog was anaemic and had a painful chronic skin disease caused by pruritus and skin infection. One of the female dogs was underweight due to malnourishment, with a body condition score of 2/9 (with 4-5/9 being ideal), and she had low creatine meaning low muscle mass due to the reduced nutrition. The other female dog was also underweight due to malnourishment, was anaemic, and had a body condition score of 1.5/9.
The accused was charged under sections 19(1), 19(3)(d), and 19(3)(h) of the Animal Welfare Act 2002. RSPCA WA alleges she was cruel to the male dog in that she failed to seek vet care for him, and she was cruel to the female dogs in that she did not provide them with proper and sufficient food.
The maximum penalty for a charge of animal cruelty is a $50,000 fine and five years in prison.
The accused will appear in Geraldton Magistrates Court on 24 March.
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
