A local Kambah resident Kelly Allen pleaded guilty after a number of dogs in her care were found to be starving, dehydrated and in very poor condition by RSPCA ACT Inspectors.
On March 10, 2015 RSPCA ACT Inspectors received a complaint about the condition of a number of animals at a Kambah residence. RSPCA ACT Inspectors attended the household where they spoke with Allen about the complaint. Allen allowed Inspectors to access the rear yard where they found two dogs. The female Cattledog Cross, Matilda was quite thin while the Bull Mastiff cross, Bandit was extremely thin with hips, ribs and spine clearly visible. Bandit also had two significant ulcerated sores on each ear. Inside the house a Boxer cross, Blink was found in the laundry and was also dehydrated and extremely skinny with hips, ribs and spine visible.
At the residence other animals were found including chickens, roosters, bantams, a cat and four day old kittens. Inspectors spoke with Allen, where a decision was made to surrender all animals in to the care of RSPCA ACT.
After a Veterinary examination Matilda was found to be underweight and mildly dehydrated. Bandit was dehydrated with a dry coat with visible scaling and dandruff. Each ear had ulcerations likely caused by fly bites and his underweight body was the result of months of poor nutrition. Blink was moderately dehydrated with sunken eyes and his underweight body was the result of weeks of malnutrition.
Allen pleaded guilty in the ACT Magistrates Court for failing to provide food, water and alleviate pain for Bandit and Blink. Allen was sentenced to 300 hours of community service, two year good behaviour order and a five year animal ban.
Senior Inspector Catherine Croatto “It’s very draining for our team to continually see animals that have suffered so much at the hands of a human. Today though it was encouraging to hear Magistrate Boss condemn the actions of Kelly Allen whilst also stating how much animals are dependent on their owners to care for them. RSPCA share Magistrate Boss’ frustrations and we will continue to advocate for appropriate changes to the Animal Welfare Act to enable appropriate sentences in the future.”
RSPCA ACT CEO Tammy Ven Dange “This case was the 16th animal ownership ban that has been ordered by the courts since January 2015. It may seem like three more skinny dogs, but at RSPCA ACT we see them as Blink, Matilda and Bandit. Each animal that comes through our shelter matters to us despite so many of these shocking cases appearing to be similar. Hopefully, these prosecutions will deter more people from owning pets if they are not going to take their responsibilities seriously.”
All animals in this case have since been rehomed by RSPCA ACT.