BY BRIANNA BRIGGS
@briggsyuno
A Nowra woman has been ordered to pay more than $10,000 under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act after pleading guilty to two charges of animal cruelty against her Maltese cross terrier.
After a complaint was made in May last year an RSPCA Inspector attended the Worrigee property. Property owner Kirsty Hite verbally abused the inspector, refusing to present the dog and demanding the RSPCA leave her property. Ms Hite then attempted to attack the Inspector over the fence as she tried to see if the dog was somewhere in the backyard.
Returning with two members of the local police on June 12 the inspector once again tried to access the dog but was met with aggression and abuse as Ms Hite answered her door.
Eventually Ms Hite agreed to show the inspector and officers the dog they were looking for, saying she was in the backyard along with a younger dog.
A young Staffy crossbreed was found in the backyard in good body condition. Also in the backyard the inspector found a female Maltese cross Shih Tzu with badly matted fur around her rump and legs. After evaluating the dog the inspector noted that the Maltese was emaciated, with vertebrae, ribs, hips and thigh bones protruding.
The inspector made the decision to seize the dog. Ms Hite admitted that her dog was underweight but denied any abuse had taken place claiming she fed both dogs daily but the Staffy cross would always dominate and eat all food provided. When officers did not accept this explanation Ms Hite once again became abusive towards the inspector.
An inspection by the local vet found that the dog was severely underweight. After shaving the matted fur her weight dropped from 3.1 kilograms to 2.9 kilograms. The dog was also diagnosed with a moderate flea burden and a worm burden of Strongyle eggs.
The Maltese was weighed again on the 14th of July after care and treatment. She now weighs a healthy 4.27 kilograms and is waiting to be rehomed by the RSPCA
Ms Hite was charged with failure to provide veterinary treatment for parasite burden and failure to provide proper and sufficient food to an animal. Ms Hite is required to pay $10,246 and must attend the local police station for fingerprinting.
The RSPCA is able to help animals like above thanks to donations made by the public. If you would like to donate visit https://www.rspcansw.org.au/donate-to-rspca or if you would like to give an animal a new lease on life adopt a pet at https://www.rspcansw.org.au/adopt
