The SPCA releases its List of Shame annually to raise awareness of animal welfare issues and the ongoing need for education and vigilance around preventing cruelty to animals.
The list:
1. A Greymouth man charged by the police for wilfully illtreating two cats was convicted and sentenced to two years and five months imprisonment. The man beat one cat to death with a tomahawk, then cut off its paws and hung it in the garage as a memento. He later caught a neighbourhood cat, then, along with another man, used petrol to set it alight and filmed it while it ran around ablaze. Thinking the cat was dead he dumped it, but it survived, despite suffering severe burns. The second man was convicted, spent six weeks in prison and was sentenced to 200 hours of community work and four months community detention.
2. A Christchurch man charged with wilfully ill-treating a cat was convicted and sentenced to 14 months imprisonment. The man confined a stray cat within his living room and repeatedly beat it with a wooden stick, he then dumped it in a rubbish bin where it was found the following morning, still alive, but barely breathing. It had to be euthanased to prevent any further suffering.
3. A young stray dog was taken into Hawkes Bay SPCA underweight, with two badly broken hind legs, severe mange and a third of her ear torn off. Her fractured legs were consistent with blunt force trauma from above. She had to be euthanased on humane grounds and the person or persons responsible have not been found.
4. Two Gisborne men recently charged with wilfully ill-treating two goats were found guilty. The two men filmed themselves encouraging dogs to viciously attack two goats, they then posted these videos on Facebook.
5. A Wellington woman charged with recklessly ill-treating and failing to ensure that the physical, health and behavioural needs of a dog were met was convicted and sentenced to four months community detention, disqualified from owning animals for life and ordered to pay $150 reparations. The woman locked her dog underneath her house, where it later died of starvation.
6. A Canterbury woman charged with recklessly ill-treating and failing to ensure that the physical, health and behavioural needs of four kittens were met was convicted and sentenced to 150 hours community work, disqualified from owning animals for five years and ordered to pay reparations of $2,782.
7. A Hamilton man received a formal warning after putting what he believed to be a stray cat in the boot of his car and driving it 20kms away and deserting it. The cat actually belonged to one of his neighbours.
8. A Levin man charged with recklessly ill-treating his puppy was convicted and sentenced to 175 hours community work, three months community detention, five year disqualification order excluding current dog, plus contribution to legal costs of $350.
The man moved out of his property and left a puppy locked in the laundry. When Housing New Zealand contractors found the puppy it was non-responsive, emaciated, severely dehydrated and anaemic, consistent with severe malnutrition.
9. A Canterbury horse trainer charged with ill-treating a horse was convicted and sentenced to 150 hours community work. The man left a horse with an extremely painful open compound fracture of the leg for at least 24 hours without seeking veterinary attention.
10. A Whangarei man charged with failing to provide veterinary treatment for his dog was convicted and sentenced to 120 hours community work, ordered to pay reparations of $3,163 and disqualified from owning animals for five years. The man found his dog unconscious on the road after it had been hit by a car. He took it home and left it in the garage because he was too busy to take it to a vet. Two days later the dog managed to stagger to a neighbour's property, and they called the SPCA. The dog had
two skull fractures, spinal compression and tenderness over most of his body.
11. A Wainuiomata man charged with failing to provide sufficient food to his seven puppies and two adult dogs was convicted and sentenced to 300 hours community work, ordered to pay reparations of $5,000 and disqualified from owning dogs for life.
12. A Kaitaia woman charged with failing to provide veterinary treatment, ill-treating, failing to comply with the requirements of an inspector, and failing to ensure that the physical, health and behavioural needs of two dogs were met was convicted and sentenced to four months community detention and disqualified from owning animals for five years. The woman tied up the first dog with a piece of wire that cut into its neck leaving a large gaping wound, then despite knowing about the wound for two days she had not sought veterinary treatment. She then left a second dog tied to clothesline without shelter, despite receiving instruction from an SPCA inspector to provide shelter.
13. A Porirua man charged with ill-treating, failing to provide veterinary treatment and failing to ensure that the physical, health and behavioural needs of his dog were met, was convicted and sentenced to 150 hours community work, six months supervision and disqualified from owning animals for five years. SPCA inspectors found his dog in emaciated and lethargic condition. Veterinary examination found the dog to be severely dehydrated, emaciated and anaemic due to a heavy flea burden. Furthermore, x-rays confirmed an old fractured leg that had gone untreated.
14. A Christchurch man charged with wilfully ill-treating a dog was convicted and sentenced to 175 hours community work and nine months supervision. The man beat his dog so severely he broke one of its legs. He then left it without veterinary treatment for several months prior to the intervention of Canterbury SPCA.
15. Wellington SPCA inspectors attended Tawatawa Reserve in Island Bay after receiving a call about a kitten in a box. They found an emaciated 12 week old kitten dead in a box with food provided strongly suggesting he was alive when he was deserted. The person or personsresponsible have not been located.
16. Wellington SPCA inspectors were alerted to six two-day-old puppies that had been abandoned inside a glass recycling bin in Wainuiomata. The puppies, which were still alive, had been tied up inside a plastic bag and were left with little chance of survival. The person or persons responsible have not been found.
17. A Whakatane man charged with failing to ensure that the physical, health and behavioural needs of three calves were met was convicted and sentenced to 100 hours community work, ordered to pay reparations of $1,371 and disqualified from owning livestock for two years. When SPCA inspectors visited his property they found three calves in emaciated body condition, they were weak and not grazing as they were far too young to be weaned onto grass. They were taken by the SPCA but their condition was so severe they were unable to be saved. In the two months prior to SPCA involvement 20 of his 28 calves had died, and he just assumed they were dying from scours and took no preventative action.
18. A Whangarei woman charged with ill-treating and failing to ensure that the physical, health and behavioural needs of a dog were met was convicted and sentenced to 200 hours community work, disqualified from owning animals for five years and ordered to pay $2,000 reparations. SPCA Inspectors discovered a dog tied by a chain that had embedded in the back of its neck, and a tight nylon collar that had caused an infected wound on his throat. Surgery was required to remove the chain.
19. A Rotorua man received a formal warning for not providing veterinary treatment to his dog that had a large tumour hanging down from his ribcage. He had also attempted to tie off the tumour with rubber bands, causing it to become infected.
20. A Katikati man received a formal warning for shooting and injuring his neighbour's cat with a .22 calibre rifle.
21. A Te Kuiti woman received a formal warning after not providing her dog with veterinary treatment and adequate shelter. Her dog was found by an SPCA inspector to be in emaciated body condition and was suffering from numerous superficial wounds, pressure point sores, an enlarged liver consistent with advanced lymphoma and significantly enlarged lymph nodes.
22. A Napier woman charged with failing to ensure that the physical, health and behavioural needs of her dog were met was convicted and sentenced to 100 hours community work, ordered to pay reparations of $66 and disqualified from owning animals for five years. When SPCA inspectors visited the property, they discovered a dog that was lethargic and in emaciated body condition as a result of chronic malnourishment.
23. A Southland man jointly charged with his wife for failing to provide veterinary treatment for their dog was convicted and sentenced to 180 hours community work, ordered to pay $678 reparations and disqualified from owning animals for 10 years. When SPCA inspectors found the dog, he was semi-conscious and emaciated. Veterinary examination revealed that the dog had an obstruction in its stomach and had been suffering from poor nutrition over a long period of time
