Animal advocate Summer Johnson has charge withdrawn for ‘stealing’ injured dog

Summer Johnson with lawyer Adam Pell and supporters outside the Kaikohe District Court this week. Photo / Bay of Islands Animal Rescue

Charges have been dropped against a Far North animal rescue worker who adamantly refused to hand an injured dog back to its owners.

Bay of Islands Animal Rescue founder Summer Johnson was charged with theft of livestock or animal after she took in an injured dog that had been left struggling to walk.

The dog Sheba had been hit by a car and had nerve damage to her front leg, causing her to drag her paw along the ground as she attempted to walk.

Johnson said the owners were advised by vets to operate on the dog at a cost of around $3000 or euthanise her but instead chose to do neither.

Sheba was spotted walking lamely along the road in Rawhiti and a member of the public handed her into the rescue shelter in June this year.

When the owners came to collect the dog, Johnson refused to hand her back and so they went to police who charged Johnson with theft of an animal.

Johnson, who has rescued thousands of animals through her career in animal advocacy, appeared in the Kaikohe District Court on October 10 where she entered a not-guilty plea and was remanded until December 20 for a case review hearing.

Multiple animal advocates appeared at both court hearings in support of Johnson.

Her charge was officially withdrawn by police this week.

Vets told Johnson Sheba’s leg should be amputated as it was causing her pain. Photo / NZ Herald

Johnson told NZME, in her opinion, the wrong person was before the courts as she criticised the SPCA for not doing enough.

She believed the SPCA should have done more to charge the owners for neglecting the dog.

“This injustice should never have happened, us independent rescues need better support from the authorities that have the power to prosecute the owners.

“Quite frankly the SPCA are not doing their job,” Johnson claimed.

SPCA national inspectorate manager Alan Wilson said they are working in collaboration with Bay of Islands Animal Rescue to ensure that Sheba is able to receive the veterinary treatment she requires as soon as possible.

Under Section 130 of the Animal Welfare Act, the SPCA can prosecute and invoke powers to take all necessary steps to alleviate the pain of a suffering animal.

Johnson said while they continue to battle through legal ownership of Sheba, who faces a major surgery unlikely to happen until after the Christmas break, the path to finding her forever home drags out.

“She could have been well and truly healed by now, it’s not good enough.”

Until the legalities are worked out, Sheba will remain under Johnson’s care.

”If the SPCA had done the process, we wouldn’t have this legal debacle ... She could have been in her very own loving, indoor home for Christmas.”

Shannon Pitman is a Whangārei based reporter for Open Justice covering courts in the Te Tai Tokerau region. She is of Ngāpuhi/ Ngāti Pūkenga descent and has worked in digital media for the past five years. She joined NZME in 2023.