RSPCA South AustraliaA poor blind and deaf puppy had to be put down after she was rescued ‘living in her own faeces’.
The Fox Terrier cross called Brandy also had roundworm infestation, ear infections, advanced dental disease an ingrown and infected toenail causing an abscess, as well as an enlarged eye.
As a result, the poor little pooch had to be put down because of long period of neglect she experienced and the culmination of injuries she suffered.
RSPCA South AustraliaHer owner, Geoffrey Mortensen, 54, admitted two counts of ill-treating an animal for his failure to mitigate the harm suffered by the pooch.
Brandy was rescued by the RSPCA from her home in Adelaide, Australia in 2017.
RSPCA chief veterinarian Brad Ward told the court via a statement how Brandy suffered a very high degree of pain over a long period of time.
Chief inspector Andrea Lewis added that the level of neglect Brandy had suffered was one of the worst she had seen in her entire career at the RSPCA.
RSPCA South AustraliaShe told the court:
This was an older dog, blind, deaf and totally vulnerable, who was completely abandoned by her owners when she needed them the most.
Mortensen was handed a six month suspended jail sentence, a two-year good behaviour bond and has been banned from owning any pets until further notice.
Rest in peace, beautiful Brandy.
Meanwhile, over here in the UK a new bill introduced earlier this year means that animal abusers could face up to five years in prison if found guilty.
The bill came after years of campaigning by the RSPCA and other animal welfare charities for the increase of maximum sentences from six months to five years under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
RSPCA South AustraliaThe increase in sentence is said to better reflect the severity of animal cruelty cases seen in England and Wales, bringing sentences more in line with Northern Ireland and other European countries, where convicted animal abusers can be jailed for up to five years.
RSPCA chief executive Chris Sherwood, said:
This reform is long overdue. Those responsible for extreme cruelty towards animals or those criminal gangs involved in organised animal crime, such as dog fighting or badger baiting, will now face the tough justice they deserve.
The current maximum sentence of six months neither reflects the severity of some of the cruelty we witness on a daily basis nor does it act as a deterrent. Even if magistrates and judges impose the maximum sentence – six months in prison – offenders will often serve just a few weeks before being released. As a nation that prides itself on its love of animals, this is simply not acceptable.
If courts had more flexibility and the ability to impose sentences of up to five years then this would be a much fairer reflection of the severity of some of the cases our officers bring to court.
Let’s hope the bill will mean fewer animals like Brandy are suffering here in the UK.
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Emma Rosemurgey is an NCTJ trained Journalist who started her career by producing The Royal Rosemurgey newspaper in 2004, which kept her family up to date with the goings on of her sleepy north east village. She graduated from the University of Central Lancashire in Preston and started her career in regional newspapers before joining Tyla (formerly Pretty 52) in 2017, and progressing onto UNILAD in 2019.