Auckland man found guilty in animal abuse case after dog found in skeletal condition
An Auckland man has today been found guilty of recklessly ill-treating an animal after his pet dog was found in skeletal
condition almost starved to death having been fed on instant noodles.
Left tied up without access to water and little food, German Shepard crossbreed Nasa was too weak to walk or even stand
up when discovered by an SPCA inspector at a Mangere property in October 2013.
An SPCA Auckland vet found Nasa had been under-fed and had been left in severe pain for months suffering from extreme
malnourishment, open sores, dermatitis and a heavy burden of fleas.
Nasa’s owner Daryl Forse was charged with ill-treatment of an animal and sentenced today in the Manukau District Court.
The judge ordered Mr Forse to forfeit any animals he owns and was banned from owning animals for 10 years. Mr Forse,
unemployed, was also ordered to complete 200 hours of community service and to pay legal and court costs of $1,130.
The Court found Nasa would have been in severe pain for months prior to her being euthanised. Mr Forse confirmed he had
been unable to feed the dog well for some time and over the two months prior to the dog’s removal by the SPCA had at
times only fed the dog instant noodles.
Nasa was euthanised on humane grounds due to severity of her emaciation, the likelihood of serious ongoing disease
including organ damage and the pain and distress she was suffering.
After hearing evidence from animal experts, the Manukau District Court noted that any reasonable dog owner would have
done more to care for Nasa, and it would have been obvious even to an untrained person to see the dog needed prompt
veterinary attention.
“This is a shocking case of an irresponsible owner neglecting their dog and leaving them to suffer. Not only did they
not provide food, shelter or water, they failed to take their dog to the vet for basic medical care,” said SPCA Auckland
CEO Andrea Midgen.
“The dog owner should have acted upon Nasa’s severely emaciated and starved condition, but instead Nasa suffered a slow
and painful decline into poor health that eventually led to her unavoidable euthanisation.
“Nasa was close to death and suffering from serious dental disease, open sores and flea infestation when she was found
by the SPCA inspector. She was so malnourished the vet found Nasa had no fat reserves under the skin or around her major
organs, something that only occurs in the final stages of starvation. These conditions would have caused chronic pain
that no animal should have to experience.
“Dogs simply cannot survive on human food or scraps. They must be fed quality dog food designed to give them the
nutrition they need.
“I would like to pay tribute to the dedicated inspector who worked towards achieving justice for Nasa, from the first
inspection, right through to gathering the evidence to help achieve this disqualification. This case epitomises the
painstaking work required by the inspectors of the SPCA in ensuring justice prevails for those animals requiring our
assistance.”
ENDS