Owner’s cruelty fine

A MAN has been fined and banned from owning a dog after neglecting his former girlfriend’s malnourished, wounded canine Malaki, with the cruelty prompting tail amputation and genital surgery.

The RSPCA first found Malaki tethered at defendant Jamie Armstrong’s Geeveston property following a complaint made in June 2019, prosecutor Malcolm Caulfield told the Hobart Magistrates court on Wednesday.

Armstrong was subsequently charged with five counts of animal cruelty, all of which he pleaded guilty to. The charges were failing to provide an animal with appropriate and sufficient food, and failing to provide veterinary or other appropriate treatment for a chronic skin disease, traumatic leg wounds, a damaged tail and paraphimosis of the penis.

Mr Caulfield said a veterinarian examined the dog and observed he was emaciated, had traumatic wounds, a tail injury and a skin disease.

The dog also had bones protruding, sores and paraphimosis, meaning the dog’s penis was unable to retract into the foreskin.

“The tail segment was subsequently amputated and surgery was done to correct the penile condition,” Mr Caulfield said.

The dog weighed 18.4kg and had a body condition score of one out of five in June 2019.

By August, once Malaki had been taken into RSPCA care, the dog’s weight was about 25kg and his body condition score was 2.5 out of five.

“Suffering could have been avoided through adequate feeding regime and wound prevention and treatment,” Mr Caulfield said.

Deputy Chief Magistrate Michael Daly asked Armstrong

what breed the dog was, to which Armstrong replied “something crossed with Mastiff”.

Armstrong told Mr Daly the black and white pooch had belonged to his ex-girlfriend, who left him in November 2018 and “never showed up” to collect her dog.

Armstrong said he often travelled to Launceston for work, leaving Malaki on his own.

When Mr Daly asked “why didn’t you feed it properly?”, Armstrong’s answer was “when I was away I left food there for it to be fed”.

Mr Daly said the dog had been “in a very, very bad way” with puncture wounds, infections and granulating skin wounds.

“I infer that you just didn’t care enough,” he said.

“You didn’t say it but it may well be that because of the breakdown in your relationship there was some shifting of responsibility, or you may feel that it may not have been your full responsibility (to look after the dog).”

Mr Daly convicted Armstrong on each charge and fined him $2500.

He ordered Armstrong to complete 84 hours community service and disqualified the man from owning a dog in the next five years.