A 41-year-old Parmelia woman has been fined $5000 and banned from owning an animal for five years after failing to provide a male Chihuahua named Tama, who did not belong to her, with proper and sufficient food.
Armadale Magistrates Court heard an RSPCA WA inspector attended the offender's Parmelia home following a cruelty report made by a WA Police detective in September 2023 relating to a 'severely underweight' dog.
The inspector ascertained Tama did not belong to the offender and questioned her as to why he had been in her backyard for approximately three weeks.
She said Tama had followed her home when she was walking her own dog along a nearby pond and she had the idea to feed him 'a bit of food here and there, try and sort of fatten him up and get him a bit more healthy before he went home to his owners'.
The woman admitted she could not afford proper dog food and had instead been feeding him Weetbix, cereal, rice, and leftovers. After examining him, the inspector noted he was emaciated with the outline of his spine, ribs, and pelvis visible. He was also wearing two collars – the one given to him by his owner and one the offender put on him.
He was transported to the Animal Care Centre in Malaga and a vet advised he weighed only 3.4kg, had no muscle mass, and had a body condition score of 1/9 (5/9 is considered ideal). He was placed on a feeding regime and was eventually reunited with his owner who had been searching for him for four weeks. A week after being back at home, Tama had gained an extra two kilograms.
In sentencing, Magistrate Brionie Ayling said Tama was "close to death".
"I don't consider this as an insignificant example of animal cruelty," she said.
"[Tama] was essentially starved."
Inspector Manager Kylie Green said the offender's actions were irresponsible and totally unnecessary.
"She admitted to knowing she could have called the rangers to collect the dog or taken him to a vet where they would have checked his microchip and contacted his owner but she chose to keep him in her backyard even though she could not properly feed him," she said.
"I am so thankful to WA Police for alerting us to Tama's unnecessary suffering and I'm glad he is back home safely with his family."
The offender's ban commencement has been delayed to allow her time to rehome her dog.
The offender was sentenced under sections 19(1) and 19(3)(d) of the Animal Welfare Act 2002. While she was a person in charge of Tama, it was found she failed to provide him with proper and sufficient food.
The maximum penalty is a $50,000 fine and five years in prison.
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.
