Couple charged $9000 after abandoning dog for a month

A couple have been fined $9000 after an RSPCA inspector discovered they had left their dog home alone for a month without access to water.

The one-year-old staffy, now named Bindi, was able to survive while trapped in the backyard in Bindoon, on WA’s Great Northern Highway, thanks to strangers who gave her food and water over the fence.

She was discovered by an RSPCA inspector on December 5, 2022, several weeks after she was left alone by her owners.

Bindi’s owners, a 25-year-old woman and 26-year-old man, pleaded guilty in Joondalup Magistrates Court on Friday.

The woman admitted to leaving her pet alone with nothing but a bucket of biscuits and water while the duo were away from November 9, 2022 to December 11, 2022.

Neither the man nor the woman had organised for anyone to take care of their dog.

Seizing Bindi due to suspected offences under the Animal Welfare Act 2022, an RSPCA inspector took the puppy to RSPCA in Malaga where she is still in care.

RSPCA inspector manager Kylie Green said the actions constituted “neglect”.

“Plain and simple,” she said.

“The outcome could easily have turned tragic for Bindi … she could have died of thirst, become sick or injured, and her owners would have been none the wiser.”

Ms Green said the actions of “kind members of the public” who alerted the RSPCA of the situation saved Bindi’s life.

‘Today’s outcome should send a clear message to the public – your pet is your responsibility,” she said.

“If you are away for long periods of time, you must arrange adequate and suitable care for them.”

The court found the two owners did not provide Bindi with sufficient water and sentenced them under sections 19(1) and 19(3)(d) of the Act, part of which involved forfeiting the dog to the RSPCA.

The couple were banned from contact with pets for two years and were ordered to pay $699.60 in court plus care costs.

The RSPCA urges anyone who suspects incidents of animal cruelty and neglect to report it to the RSPCA any time on 1300 CRUELTY (1300 278 358) or on the relevant state or territory’s RSPCA website.