Kenwick woman charged with animal cruelty after pet Jack Russell left ‘non-responsive’ with brain injury

A Kenwick woman has been charged with animal cruelty after a fight between her two dogs left her Jack Russell with a brain injury so serious he was “unconscious and non-responsive”. The 28-year-old woman told RSPCA WA her Jack Russell was “injured” and “would not get off the ground” after it got into a fight with her other pet dog. The woman said she knew her Jack Russell needed treatment but “just kept checking up on him” despite him not moving, eating or drinking for two days. The dog was removed from her care by WA Police. A Kenwick Veterinary Hospital vet confirmed the Jack Russell was suffering hypothermia, bruising on his throat and “multiple significant open dog-tooth-sized wounds” to the neck and shoulders. The dog — who was “unconscious and non-responsive” — also had a “dangerously low” heart rate of 20 beats per minute and a “likely brainstem injury”. The vet confirmed the dog was in the “decompensatory phase of shock” as a result of organ dysfunction and irreversible tissue damage. The dog was seized after the woman allegedly refused to surrender him. He was taken to Perth Vet Emergency for overnight monitoring, where he was later euthanised as a result of his “extensive injuries” and “unlikelihood of ever returning to normal function”. RSPCA WA alleges the woman was cruel to her dog and that his suffering could have been alleviated had she taken “reasonable steps”. The maximum penalty for a charge of animal cruelty is $50,000 and five years in prison. The charges will be heard in Armadale Magistrates Court on December 13. Report cruelty 24/7 on 1300 CRUELTY (1300 278 358) or at rspcawa.org.au.