Animal welfare sullied by SPCA list

Sully was found locked in a cold, dark garage – the spaniel-poodle cross had never been let outside or interacted with anyone other than his owner.

His mistreatment caused psychological trauma that led to severe anxiety and an inability to make eye contact with people. He was also underweight and unable to move freely because of the poor condition of his coat.

The dog’s owner, who had previously been prosecuted by the SPCA and disqualified from owning animals, failed to appear in court on charges over Sully’s mistreatment. A warrant has been issued for her arrest.

Sully’s case appears on the SPCA’s 2017 list of shame, highlighting the year’s worst cases of animal cruelty.

‘‘We need the public’s support to end this shameful cruelty in New Zealand,’’ said SPCA chief executive Andrea Midgen.

‘‘We receive almost no government funding to run the SPCA’s inspectorate, which costs about $9 million every year.’’

Thankfully, after months of successful rehabilitation, Sully now lives with a new family on Auckland’s North Shore.

However, it’s not a happy ending for many animals found by the welfare agency. Its new list includes a 5-year-old labrador starved to death, a duck whose beak was blown up by a firecracker, and a neglected horse, Frosty, who had to be euthanised due to a deformed eye and engorged head injury.

Frosty’s owner was prosecuted by the SPCA and sentenced to 260 hours’ community work, disqualified from owning horses for five years and fined more than $1400.