SPCA Inspector hunger strike for starving dogs

An SPCA Chief Inspector will begin a three-day hunger strike today (Monday 17 November) to highlight a spate of dog starvings in Whangarei.

Francine Shields is fed up with people starving dogs to the point of death on her patch. The SPCA Whangarei Centre Manager and Chief Inspector has 23 years of experience as an SPCA Inspector and says SPCA Whangarei has never picked up so many starving dogs in a single month as they did in October this year.

SPCA Whangarei Inspectors rescued a record number of emaciated dogs during October, almost of all of them starved to the point of death. To highlight the issue, Ms Shields has pledged to consume nothing but water from for three days, starting from midnight Sunday 16 November and ending midnight Wednesday 17 November.

“I want to do something that will draw attention to any other dogs that are right now tied up somewhere, slowly starving to death. I want to put my hand up and ask the good people in our community to help us stop it from happening again,” says Ms Shields.

“The SPCA has limited resources. We can’t be everywhere at once so we need neighbours, friends, and family to report cases of neglect and abuse to us. We know it takes courage because people who abuse pets are likely to abuse people too – but the alternative could be letting an animal die.”

Whangarei’s month of shame:

· 1 October – emaciated female Pit Bull Terrier chained to log in yard. Owner said, "forgets to feed it". The dog is still undergoing treatment but is expected to recover.

· 2 October – emaciated female Shar-Pei crossbred dog found loose on property and seized along with a very thin kitten. The dog is still undergoing treatment but is expected to recover.

· 6 October – emaciated female Whippet crossbred near death with injured hind leg. Dropped at a vet clinic and transferred to SPCA Whangarei. Despite intensive care her condition deteriorated and she had to be euthanised two days later. Post mortem found large cancer mass in intestine. The dog had not received any vet care prior to being dropped at the vet clinic.

· 17 October – emaciated male Terrier crossbred dog found near death and tied to a fence. The people at the property had found him a week earlier, tied him to fence, and left him to die. Police Officers who were visiting the property on an unrelated matter reported the case to SPCA Whangarei. The dog is still undergoing treatment but is expected to recover.

· 30 October – 2 x emaciated Whippet crossbred dogs approximately 7 months old with severe mange and confined in filthy runs. The adjacent kennel contained a recently deceased, emaciated whippet crossbred dog with mange and extensive wounds, likely from pressure areas. Both live dogs are still undergoing treatment but are expected to recover.

Royal New Zealand SPCA CEO Ric Odom says cases of people starving animals in their care are not uncommon and occur regularly throughout the country.

“We investigate starvation cases regularly but you can bet what we see is just the tip of the iceberg. There will be dozens of cases out there that never get reported,” says Mr Odom. “There is no explanation for this behaviour beyond deliberate neglect. The people we catch with starving animals are never starving themselves.

“However, if anyone does find themselves unable to afford food or vet treatment for an animal in their care, they can talk to their local SPCA about finding an alternative solution. If there is no other option they may be able to surrender the animal to the SPCA. At the end of the day there are no excuses for this vicious neglect. I call on all New Zealanders to keep their eyes peeled for cases of animal abuse in their neighbourhood. If something doesn’t look right you can call your local SPCA anonymously.”

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