Man fined over $5000 for senseless cruelty against his own dog
An Australian dog owner has been issued fines totalling more than $5000 after leaving his canine companion trapped inside of his car in Perth’s scorching summer temperatures.
While it’s unknown exactly how long Tipsy the fox-terrier cross spent within the vehicle until help arrived, bodycam footage has revealed the exact moment she was freed from the 29 degree prison.
RSPCA WA were made aware of Tipsy’s dire situation at around 10 in the morning, and an inspector found her in the vehicle shortly after, noting that the dog had no access to water.
According to an update on the organisation's official site and social media, the inspector reported witnessing Tipsy “panting excessively, becoming restless, and showing other signs of stress”.
It wasn’t long before she chose to seize Tipsy, suspecting offences under the Animal Welfare Act 2002. From there, Tipsy was taken to an emergency vet, and it was confirmed that the dog was suffering from dehydration while displaying signs of heat stress.
Footage was uploaded of Tipsy gulping down water for close to 30 seconds, with one of her supervisors even asking “is it okay for her just to keep drinking like that?”
Luckily, after an overnight stay for monitoring and some IV therapy to combat her dehydration, Tipsy made a full recovery under the care of RSPCA WA.
According to Inspector Manager Kylie Green, “the maximum temperature on the day we seized Tipsy reached over 33C.
“In those conditions, a dog can die in just six minutes. I’m so grateful we were alerted to Tipsy in time.
“Last summer [in 2021], RSPCA WA received over 200 calls about dogs in hot cars.
“It’s heart-wrenching that–despite repeated warnings–people continue to put their pets at risk.
“If you love your dog, leave them at home with plenty of shade and water. It's better to leave them at home for a short time, than to risk losing them forever.”
For his senseless act, Tipsy’s owner was sentenced, and the court decreed that Tipsy had been confined “in a manner likely to cause harm and was not provided with sufficient water.”
The 32-year-old was found guilty in Perth Magistrates Court, and was fined $3000. However, there was more to come, with the man also receiving a ban from having contact with pets for two years, as well as an additional fee of $2246.16 to cover court and care costs.
Images: RSPCA WA