Woman, 33, blames financial situation for euthanasia of pet Rottweiler found underweight, covered in fleas

A Cooloongup woman has blamed her financial situation for the death of her pet Rottweiler after it was found “unable to move”, underweight, dehydrated and covered in fleas. RSPCA WA said a Port Kennedy vet made an animal cruelty report after the woman brought in four-year-old Rottweiler Memphis, who was starving, cold to touch, had white gums and was “unable to move”. He was also covered in fleas to the point his skin was no longer visible and was humanely euthanised. The 33-year-old owner said she had been feeding Memphis twice a day, but admitted he was not being fed enough due to her “financial constraints”. An RSPCA WA inspector visited the woman’s home in Cooloongup and located her other pet Rottweiler, Arlo, who was also very underweight, had pale gums and covered in fleas. Arlo was surrendered to RSPCA WA and was transported to Perth Vet Emergency for an immediate assessment A vet examination revealed Arlo had a body condition score of 2/9 and was suffering from mild to moderate dehydration. He was also “moderately anaemic” as a result of the heavy flea burden. Arlo was treated at RSPCA WA’s Animal Care Centre and gained 7.4kg in just nine weeks after being placed on a feeding regime. He was adopted a few months later. The 33-year-old woman pleaded guilty not to providing enough food and water to her pet dogs and was fined $4000 and banned from owning animals for the next three years. Magistrate Steven Malley on Monday described the woman’s behaviour as “appalling” and reminded her that owning a dog included a “responsibility to take care of them”. RSPCA WA inspector manager Kylie Green said Memphis’ condition was one of the worst she had ever seen. “The offender had a responsibility to not only feed her dogs, but also seek vet care for their poor condition and flea burden, but she ultimately failed them,” she said. “We know times are tough for lots of people at the moment, but there are so many ways to seek help such as asking family, looking in online groups and forums for free items, coming along to our community outreach days, or reaching out to shelters for any help they might be able to provide.”