Heartbreaking pictures show malnourished pet dog Angel on the verge of death as her owner is found guilty of animal cruelty and fined $4,000
- Sean Fenn was fined $4,000 and banned from owning any animals for 10 years
- The 21-year-old’s pet dog Angel and a pet rat were severely malnourished
- Fenn was also issued an order to pay more than $28,000 in court costs
Heartbreaking pictures of a malnourished dog named Angel have been shared by the RSPCA after the owner was found guilty of animal cruelty.
Sean Fenn, 21, who appeared in Western Australia‘s Midland Magistrate’s Court from custody on Friday, was fined $4,000 and slugged with $28,000 in court costs.
Fenn was charged with failing to take reasonable steps to alleviate harm to Angel and a rat after the RSPCA received a complaint about animals kept at his Midland property, Perth, in January this year.
The shocking state Angel (pictured above) was in when discovered by workers from the RSPCA
Fenn told an inspector from the RSPCA in January that Angel was ‘skinny because she has worms’.
However, two months later her physical condition had further deteriorated and she was removed from the property on March 4.
A subsequent vet examination showed Angel had suffered a large laceration to her vulva.
The mixed-breed dog received a body condition score of two out of a possible nine and was showing multiple signs of ill health.
She was then transported to a vet specialising in canine reproductive anatomy for thorough testing.
It was found Angel’s injury had occurred roughly a fortnight earlier and was not the result of whelping, as Fenn had previously claimed.
Angel’s owner was charged with two counts of ill treatment of an animal and fined $4000
On March 12, an RSPCA inspector returned to Fenn’s property with WA Police and executed a search warrant.
They found a pet rodent on the verge of starvation.
An RSPCA statement read: ‘A small cage on the kitchen table was found to have contained a rat, lethargic and hunched over in the corner with his eyes half closed.’
‘There was no food or water in the cage.’
The rat was taken to intensive care but could not be saved.
Angel (pictured above) is tipped to make a full recovery and is now in the hands of a RSPCA accredited foster carer
‘On the third day of treatment his health declined even further. The external vet recommended his suffering be ended humanely,’ the statement said.
Hannah Dreaver, the RSPCA executive manager of animal and enforcement operations, said the outcome could have been avoided if the animals were fed properly.
‘Our animals rely on us totally for their well-being and it is simply not OK to neglect them,’ she said.
‘I’m pleased to say Angel (dog) is doing well. but it is still heartbreaking to think of everything she went through unnecessarily – how hungry she must have been and how much pain she suffered.’
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