Repeat abuser banned, pets re-homed
In one of the worst cases of neglect in the country, the SPCA found Selena the samoyed dog malnourished, dehydrated and living in her own waste.
The samoyed was on the SPCA’s annual list of shame, a compilation of the most serious cases the charity has investigated and prosecuted over the past year.
Selena was found by SPCA inspector Kevin Plowright alongside a Siberian husky and two cats. Their Auckland owner, Pamela De Vere, has been sentenced in North Shore District Court for starving the two dogs and leaving them living in their own waste.
De Vere was handed a five-year disqualification from owning animals. She has already served two of those years.
Plowright found the dogs in the garage where De Vere was living without food or water. They had never spent time outside and smelled of urine.
The pair were malnourished and dehydrated with protruding back, rib and hip bones hidden by their long fur.
Both Selena and the Siberian husky, now named Blu Eyes, have been rehomed.
This is the second time De Vere has been discovered ill-treating animals after a 2012 search uncovered two malnourished dogs. At the time, she was educated about proper animal care.
SPCA Auckland chief executive Andrea Midgen says she would like to see a longer disqualification period handed down for a case she said was ‘‘serious, long-term neglect’’. ‘‘Ignorance is one thing, blatant disregard for a living creature’s health and wellbeing is another, and one that demands legal consequences,’’ Midgen said.
The list of shame was released in conjunction with the SPCA’s annual appeal.
The appeal ran from November 7 till 13 and saw volunteers raise funds for the 60,000 abused, neglected and lost animals the SPCA cares for annually.
Midgen said SPCA inspectors investigated a record 15,219 animal welfare complaints last year and are the ‘‘last hope for many of New Zealand’s abused animals’’.