Puppy owner pleads guilty to animal cruelty

The puppy’s adoption photo (Submitted photo)

A 20-year-old Chatham resident has been convicted of animal cruelty under the Ontario SPCA Act for failing to provide veterinary attention for a nine-week-old puppy that jumped from a moving car and broke its leg.

OSPCA officials say the woman pleaded guilty on ‎May 31, 2017 in Chatham Provincial Offences Court to one count of failing to provide medical attention.

She was sentenced to a three-year prohibition on owning animals and received a fine of $650.

She was also ordered to pay $1,880 in restitution towards the care of the puppy.

OSPCA officials say on July 18, 2016, an Ontario SPCA officer attended a residence in Chatham after receiving a call about a small white puppy with a broken leg.

The officer discovered a nine-week-old male puppy, thought to be a Shepherd/Great Pyrenees cross, with his left leg clearly broken.

The puppy’s owner told the officer that it had jumped out of a moving car five days before.

She had taken it to a veterinarian following the incident, but did not follow treatment recommended by the veterinarian, OSPCA officials stated.

The officer issued an Ontario SPCA Act Order to have the animal immediately examined by a veterinarian and to follow their treatment recommendations.

After a consultation with the veterinarian the accused indicated she could not afford treatment for the puppy, which was subsequently seized by the Ontario SPCA for non-compliance of the Order.

The puppy was provided with pain medication and, after undergoing x-rays to determine the extent of its injuries, had its leg amputated at the recommendation of the treating veterinarian. The puppy was later relinquished to the Ontario SPCA and has since been adopted into a new home.

“There is no excuse when it comes to failing to care for your animals,” stated Carol Vanderheide, Regional Inspector, Ontario SPCAm in a press release.

“If you are having difficulty providing care for your animals, contact the Ontario SPCA to discuss your options. We would also like to remind pet owners to confine their animals to the back seat, either in a carrier or pet seatbelt, when travelling.”

To report animal cruelty, call 310-SPCA (7722).

- Advertisment -