Stratton mother daughter duo fined $8k for animal cruelty and inspector abuse

A Stratton mother and daughter, aged 67 and 48, have been convicted of animal cruelty over the younger woman’s puppy who was suffering from serious skin and eye infections.

Both were also convicted of failing to comply with a written direction from an RSPCA WA inspector, and the daughter for threatening and abusing an inspector.

The older offender was fined $3,000 and her daughter $5,000. Each has been banned from being in charge of an animal for two years and have been ordered to pay $4,671 in costs.

Midland Magistrates Court heard RSPCA WA received a cruelty report about the male Shar-pei cross named Brutus in March.

An inspector attended the address and saw 10-month-old Brutus – his eyes were swollen and covered in a thick yellow discharge causing him to squint and struggling to open his right eye. He also had large red lesions all over his body and patches of missing fur.

The older offender was subsequently given a written direction to take Brutus to a vet and follow all advice and instructions. The order was not complied with, with the offender telling the inspector she had been “really flat out”, adding that Brutus was “well” and “there’s nothing wrong with him”.

The younger offender confirmed she could take Brutus to a vet and was subsequently issued a written direction to do so, including that all advice and instructions were followed. Brutus was taken to see a vet, but the required, prescribed medications were not collected or given to the puppy.

The younger offender was told she could surrender Brutus to RSPCA WA if she was unable to meet his needs to which she responded with threats and abuse including, “get the f*ck out of my face”, “get the f*ck off my yard”, “you mental c*nts”, and “I might take your head off”.

Brutus was subsequently seized and taken to the RSPCA in Malaga. A vet examination found he was suffering from severe, chronic mange; a secondary skin infection from the mange; and a severe, chronic form of entropion which causes the eyelids to roll inwards in both eyes.

After extensive treatment by RSPCA WA, including three surgeries for his eye condition, Brutus has since recovered in foster care.

In sentencing, Magistrate Matthew Holgate said Brutus was suffering from “chronic [and] painful” conditions and that the offending constituted “neglect and failure to get that proper treatment for him so he was not in pain”.

“Animals can’t tell you what their problems are… they rely upon you to look after them,” he said.

Inspector Manager Kylie Green said the conditions Brutus was suffering from were extremely serious.

“It’s shocking to think how long he was left in such a state, enduring pain and discomfort,” she said.

“The physical signs of just how unwell he was were clear for anyone to see – he should have received appropriate treatment long before RSPCA WA stepped in.”

Both offenders were convicted under sections 19(1), 19(3)(h), and 40(2) of the Animal Welfare Act 2002. The younger woman was also convicted under section 77(a) of the Act for abusing and threatening an RSPCA WA inspector.

The maximum penalty for an animal cruelty conviction is a $50,000 fine and five years in prison. The maximum penalty for failing to comply with a written direction, and for abusing and threatening an inspector, is a $20,000 fine and one year in prison.

The RSPCA relies on the community to report incidents of suspected cruelty and neglect. Report cruelty on 1300 CRUELTY (1300 278 358) or at rspcawa.org.au.