A young husky was forced to eat its living companion after its negligent owner went away for two weeks without arranging her dogs to be fed.
A 31-year-old woman from Christie Downs, south Australia, has been banned from owning animals for life after the RSPCA filmed the shocking events.
Stormy was found by an inspector alongside the ‘partially eaten’ body of 10-month-old husky Demon in a garden of a home in September 2019.
‘Out of desperation, the surviving dog is believed to have partially consumed the deceased dog’s body,’ an RSPCA statement said.
‘The inspector found the male dog deceased in the backyard, and its emaciated body partially eaten.
‘The surviving female dog was also in a severely emaciated state.’
Stormy can be seen sniffing her dead friend as the inspector films the scene.
A woman is also heard crying in the background as the investigator puts the surviving husky in the back of an RSPCA van.
The owner said she had gone away ‘for a few days’ – understood to be two weeks – without arranging any care for her animals.
She claimed to have put out a bowl of dog food and water, but RSPCA said the inspector ‘was unable to locate any food bowls or water containers in the yard’.
After three weeks in RSPCA care, Stormy regained 76% of her body weight and has since been rehomed.
The owner was convicted of two counts of ill treatment of an animal and two counts of abandonment.
She was given a suspended 14-week jail sentence, and was also ordered to pay veterinary, prosecution and court costs totalling $1,141.
She was further placed on a two-year good behaviour bond and banned from owning animals for life.
Christie’s Beach magistrate, Teresa Anderson, said the condition of the dogs was ‘shocking’ and that the defendant ‘shouldn’t be in charge of animals’.
RSPCA South Australia chief inspector, Andrea Lewis, said: ‘It is totally unacceptable to go away, and make no provision for the care of your animals.
‘This is an extreme case of neglect, with tragic consequences, and begs the question of why this person chose to have dogs in the first place, especially dogs of this breed with their high care needs in terms of grooming, exercise and diet.
‘We urge people to not acquire any animal unless they fully understand and accept what is required to properly care for them, both physically and mentally.’
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