Ipswich Woman Banned From Owning Dogs

[Redsonic]

Courier mail article:

"A WOMAN has avoided jail after pleading guilty to starving two dogs to death and cruelly laying out food next to their "skin and bones".

Debra Louise Pridmore, 46, also pleaded guilty to failing to treat the dogs for severe hookworm before their emancipated bodies were found by the RSPCA in June last year.

The Ipswich Magistrates Court heard RSPCA inspectors went to Pridmore's home in Ebbw Vale after a complaint.

Documents tendered in court showed the complainant said a dog was in a cage and "just skin and bones".

On June 17 two officers found a white American staffordshire bull terrier dead inside a 6m by 3m greenhouse.

The court heard the dog's tongue was hanging out of it's mouth, it's eyes were closed and it was cold to touch.

The area was littered by faeces and the dog was later found to have been severely anaemic.

A report by a vet concluded the dog had been dead for about 24 hours before it was found.

In the same greenhouse a small white and tan dog was found in the same condition with a sunken stomach and had been dead for 36 hours.

In a disturbing act of "callousness" the court heard fresh food had been laid out next to the dead dogs.

"That shows the pure callousness on behalf of the defendant to effectively be feeding dogs she knew were dead," solicitor Bernard Catt, appearing for the RSPCA, told the court.

Witnesses told the inspectors the dogs had been kept in the greenhouse since the family moved in three months prior to their death.

The court also heard witnesses said the dogs were never allowed outside, they would bark and howl during the day and the dogs hadn't been heard barking for at least five days before they were found dead.

Pridmore, who represented herself and is on a carers pension, told the court the dogs were healthy before she moved into the home.

The court heard that when Pridmore was interviewed by the RSPCA she said: "I'm not a millionaire I'm not rich, I can't afford vets and (expletive) so nuh I didn't take them to a vet because I couldn't afford it, I just fed them so I didn't know what was going on ... They just lost weight."

She was sentenced this morning to two months' imprisonment to be wholly suspended for 18 months.

In sentencing Magistrate Donna McCallum said it was a "distressing and disturbing" case.

"Animals are as vulnerable as children and our obligation to them are at the highest level."

Pridmore was banned from owning dogs for life but after five years can apply to have them again."

Sounds like she heard the RSPCA was coming so placed food beside her dead dogs. What a low life.

....oh, and there is nothing funny about this story but I love how Queensland's venerable paper says the dogs are "emancipated"!

Edited January 22, 2014 by Redsonic

[MelissaS]

So horrible and cruel.

I saw one article that had pics of the poor " emancipated" white dog.

R.I.P doggies