Dog left chained for years

A TABLELANDS dog owner never exercised his dog in three years and let a chain eat into its neck, a court has heard

Gerald Benard Hobbler, 26, of Mareeba, was convicted of two breaches of the Animal Care and Protection Act after an RSPCA inspector saw how he had neglected his four-yearold mastiff, Bundy.

In April, the RSPCA received a tip that Bundy (above) had been tethered with a tight chain around his neck.

Upon a closer look, the inspector saw the dog’s neck had been eaten away by the chain.

“The informant observed that the chain was stuck inside Bundy’s open neck wound,” barrister John Eylander told Mareeba Magistrates Court.

The RSPCA inspector described an “unbearable foul odour” from the wound as the chain was cut from the neck link by link.

An interview with Hobbler revealed Bundy’s state of neglect – he was not given a bed because he had chewed one as a puppy, and had been on the chain for three years.

Veterinary reports show Bundy required sedation to have the wounds cleaned and was then treated with antibiotics. “Sadly, he was later deemed unsuitable for rehoming,” an RSPCA spokesman said outside court.

“He showed clear and deeprooted signs of aggression resulting from his lack of socialisation and constant tethering and ongoing suffering.”

Hobbler was sentenced to three months jail, to be wholly suspended.

He was prohibited from owning any dogs for five years and a conviction was recorded.