Puppy abandoned in home
Wainuiomata, WE (NZ)Incident Date: Tuesday, Apr 3, 2007
Disposition: Not Charged
Case Images: 1 files available
Person of Interest: 16 year old male
A four-week-old puppy is lucky to be alive after its teenage owner went on holiday, leaving it without food or water for three days, Wellington SPCA staff say.
Animal welfare inspector Ben Lakomy broke into the Wainuiomata house last week after neighbours, who had previously heard the puppy crying and barking, contacted the SPCA.
They were worried because it had gone silent.
He found the puppy, a Labrador-Rottweiler cross, shut in a bedroom, hiding under a bed.
"I was calling out to the puppy but he made no sound at all," Mr Lakomy said.
"There were not even any bowls in the bedroom, so no attempt to provide for him had been made."
The puppy was dehydrated and underweight and Mr Lakomy doubted he would have survived another night.
SPCA spokeswoman Lisa Snow said the 16-year-old owner had got the puppy, named Little Nick, a few days earlier from a man living in the same street.
The puppy and four others in the litter were now in SPCA care.
Ms Snow said the teenager had been given a written warning but would not be prosecuted. Staff considered education was a better outcome and he had surrendered the puppy.
A "huge influx" of more than 60 animals ended up at the Wellington SPCA in the week before Easter, she said.
Some owners had forgotten to book their cats into a cattery, then thought "we didn't like the cat anyway", and opted to leave them with the SPCA. References |
