Peaceful pooch on the mend after neglect

Shaka with her rescuer, SPCA inspector Sara Elliott-Warren. Photo / Bay of Plenty Times

The way Shaka's big soft eyes gaze at you, it's hard to believe her owners could ignore her suffering - or say they would rather see her dead than given to the SPCA.

For two months, after she was believed to have been hit by a car, the placid 2-year-old Labrador mastiff was left in incredible pain, suffering from a dislocated hip.

Finally, someone in the Tauranga neighbourhood of Welcome Bay complained to the SPCA that the dog had been roaming injured.

A field officer visited Shaka's home on May 18 and found her lying hungry in a laundry basket on the back doorstep, unable to stand on her own.

The officer took a miserable Shaka to a vet, and once the severity of her injuries was revealed, SPCA animal welfare inspector Sara Elliott-Warren was called. "You wouldn't return this dog to that home, ever," she said. "It's very sad to see it get to this situation."

Besides her injuries, Shaka - who should weigh about 45kg - had shrunk to just 30kg, with her bones protruding from her coat.

When Mrs Elliott-Warren returned to the house to ask Shaka's owners to surrender their dog to the SPCA they refused, saying they would rather see her put down.

With no other choice, Mrs Elliott-Warren seized Shaka, and the SPCA will now prosecute the owners under the Animal Welfare Act 1999 for their alleged failure to provide veterinary treatment.

An operation to repair the damage to her hip was carried out on May 21 and she has been recuperating at a foster home since.

Once Shaka was back to full health, Mrs Elliott-Warren said, it wouldn't take long to find her a new home. "She's a very appealing and well-behaved dog."

- APN