Perth puppy owner fined $7,500 after disturbing find in home
A West Australian man has been fined $7,500 and banned from keeping animals for at least five years after authorities made a disturbing discovery at the home where he kept his pet French bulldog puppy.
The 38-year-old man was found guilty of keeping the 10-week-old puppy, named Lily, in squalid and potentially dangerous conditions at his home in the outter suburbs of Perth.
The RSPCA seized the dog in May last year following a report from police, who found her shut inside a bedroom at the offender’s home with no access to food or water.
On Thursday the man was ordered to pay $655 in court costs on top of expensive care costs to RSPCA WA.
Photos from inside the home show empty beer bottles littered throughout the house and cannabis on the floor. According to rescuers, Lily was found withdrawn and whimpering with an extremely enlarged stomach, raising concerns she had ingested the drugs.
The man's home was also reportedly "littered with dog faeces".
Lilly was later found by vets to be suffering from an intestinal infection.
Police at the scene confirmed the premises were in an unhygienic state, with numerous soiled items and dog faeces throughout, and a number of items on the floor that would be harmful to the puppy if she had ingested them.
"This home was a dangerous environment for any pet but especially such a young puppy," RSPCA WA Inspector Manager Kylie Green said, imploring pet owners to keep a clean environment for their animal.
"The offender said he’d been gifted Lilly just a few days prior. To already be showing such blatant disregard for her health and wellbeing is hard to comprehend," she added.
"The floor was littered with dog faeces and other harmful items, such as cigarette butts and alcohol."
The WA man was sentenced under the Animal Welfare Act 2002 and was convicted of being cruel to an animal.
While the man claimed the puppy was a gift, French bulldogs have been highly sought after by thieves with a number of cases making headlines recently. Earlier this month a five-month-old French bulldog puppy valued at $15,000 was stolen from a Victorian home while the owner's slept. In March, a Perth couple had their new puppy stolen when dognappers broke into their home. The attention on the breed is due to the fact they can sell "for pricey sums" on the black market, PETA spokesperson Laura Weyman-Jones recently told Yahoo News Australia.
Lily has made a full recovery.
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