A 32-year-old woman and a 32-year-old man who pleaded guilty to allowing their two dogs to starve to the point of emaciation were convicted in the Victor Harbor Magistrates Court on Monday 5 May.

The couple were jointly charged with two counts of ill-treatment of an animal in relation to the two dogs, an eight-year-old male Border Collie named Ash and a four-year-old female Great Dane named Oreo.

Neither defendant was home at the time RSPCA South Australia inspectors attended at the couple’s Middleton property in August 2024 in response to a cruelty report. 

On seeing the dogs emaciated and struggling to walk, the inspectors seized them and transported them to RSPCA’s veterinary clinic at O’Halloran Hill.

A veterinarian assessed the animals as having body condition scores of 1/9, indicating they were in extremely emaciated states. 

Based on the veterinary assessment, the dogs were believed to have been in emaciated states for between four-to-six months.

Under veterinary-supervised feeding plans, the dogs made full recoveries and were eventually adopted by the RSPCA SA foster carers who helped to nurse them back to health.

In the Victor Harbor Magistrates Court on Monday, neither defendant could explain how they allowed the dogs to starve, other than to say that between running a cleaning business and caring for six children they had been exhausted. 

The defendants accepted that they had failed the animals.

Given the defendants’ contrition, early guilty plea and lack of any criminal history, RSPCA SA legal counsel Simon Perrie did not oppose a good behaviour bond in the matter.

Magistrate Joanna Martin convicted both defendants and sentenced each of them to a two-year good behaviour bond in the amount of $500.

They were also ordered to pay RSPCA SA $6100 in animal care and boarding costs and $387 in legal costs.

In sentencing, Her Honour addressed the serious nature of the offences and their catastrophic impact on the dogs.

“It is absolutely astounding that you could not look out the window and see those dogs suffering and it is horrifying that your six children witnessed that,” Her Honour said.

“Dogs are helpless. They are trapped in our yards and reliant upon us completely for their food, water and care.

“This is devastating, animals deserve to be protected and nourished.

“You should have surrendered them if you could not care for them.”

The defendants are prohibited from owning any animals apart from a cat and a lizard for whom there were no welfare concerns. They are required to have these two animals assessed by at vet within 30 days and, again, six months later, with the information to be provided to the RSPCA to ensure that there are no welfare concerns.

Under SA’s Animal Welfare Act, the maximum penalty for animal cruelty is $20,000 or two years’ imprisonment.

For an aggravated cruelty offence, the maximum penalty is $50,000 or four years’ imprisonment.

RSPCA South Australia is the state’s only animal welfare charity with inspectors empowered to prosecute animal cruelty under SA’s Animal Welfare Act.