SPCA Auckland: Dog rescued “just three days from death”

Rescued “just three days from death”

SPCA Auckland Inspectors investigate thousands of complaints about animal cruelty every year – but the organisation needs members of the public to keep their eyes and ears open to spot cases of abuse, particularly over the holiday season.

Here’s an example of how ordinary people can help us save lives.

In mid-October this year when SPCA Auckland Chief Inspector Vicki Border followed up a call from a member of the public about an extremely skinny dog in a remote area, she came upon a horrific sight.

The dog, Cassie*, had been without food for weeks. She was malnourished and dehydrated. Border estimates she was just three days from death.

“Someone had just tied her up and left her to die,” says Border. “It’s been years since I’ve seen a case of neglect this serious. I immediately removed her from the property and took her to the SPCA Auckland Animal Village for emergency medical treatment.”

It was touch and go for the first few days. Often in cases this serious the animal doesn’t make it because too much damage has already been done. But not in Cassie’s case.

“After just 21 days in SPCA Auckland care, Cassie was like a different dog,” says Border. “I had to carry her in here that first day – she was so weak she could barely stand. Now she is out enjoying daily walks and running around in the local park.

“Often when a dog has been denied food for so long, they can develop serious trust issues and become extremely food aggressive. Thankfully this has not been the case with Cassie.”

Cassie is currently recovering in foster care in preparation for potential adoption further down the track. Meanwhile, SPCA Auckland is taking action to prosecute Cassie’s owners, and expects the case to go before the courts in 2012.

“Cassie’s story has a happy ending but too many don’t. We can’t be everywhere at once – we need members of the public to keep their eyes and ears open and call us if they see or hear an animal in distress,” says Border.

SPCA Auckland is empowered under the Animal Welfare Act 1999 to protect all animals from abuse, neglect, and abandonment, and to prosecute people who break this law. To report such cases, please phone 09 256 7300.

*Cassie is not the dog’s original name – it has been changed for legal reasons.

ENDS

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