12 January 2022

A man and woman in their 20s have been sentenced for animal cruelty to two dogs described as ‘walking skeletons’ by RSPCA WA.

Two-year-old Ollie and five-year-old Lola were seized by an inspector at a Wheatbelt property in Yerecoin, 156km north-north-east of Perth, in June following a cruelty report describing two starving dogs chained up in a carport.

The Moora Magistrates Court heard RSPCA WA vets found both dogs were extremely emaciated, with no body fat and significant muscle wastage. Ollie, a Staghound cross, weighed just under 18 kilograms, and Lola, a Rhodesian Ridgeback-Staghound cross, was a shocking 17 kilograms.

The 22-year-old-woman and 25-year-old man pleaded guilty to charges under the Animal Welfare Act 2002 of failing to provide adequate food for the dogs.

Each has been fined $4000 and ordered to pay costs of $1102. Each offender has also been banned from owning or having contact with any animal for 10 years.

Ollie and Lola made a full recovery in the RSPCA’s care, gaining almost half their original body weight in just over two months, and have since been adopted into loving new homes.

RSPCA WA Inspector Manager, Kylie Green, said Ollie and Lola were among the skinniest dogs she’d ever seen.

‘It was truly shocking to see the condition these beautiful dogs were in—they were like walking skeletons,’ she said.

‘Ollie was actually a rescue dog, which means he had already had a rough start to life. To have placed his trust in a new owner and be let down so badly is utterly heartbreaking.

‘Seeing how quickly Ollie and Lola recovered after receiving something as simple as proper, regular meals, shows how badly their basic needs were being neglected by the offenders.

‘If you’re struggling to provide food, shelter, or care for your pets, please reach out to friends, family or a rescue organisation for help sooner rather than later.

‘It’s never OK to let your pet suffer the way Ollie and Lola did.’

Kylie thanked Wongan Hills Police for their assistance in this matter.

The RSPCA relies on the community to report incidents of suspected cruelty and neglect. Report cruelty 24/7 on 1300 CRUELTY (1300 278 358) or online here.