TRURO, N.S. — A man and woman from Truro have been convicted of animal cruelty charges for causing “severe” suffering and chronic neglect to their dog, which resulted in it being euthanized.
Brett Fiddes, 27, and Jessica Riley, 20, of Chestnut Crescent pleaded guilty to permitting a dog to be in distress, failing to provide an adequate source of water and food and failure to provide adequate medical attention when it was wounded or ill.
“This dog, Buddy, suffered severe and chronic neglect,” said Jo-Anne Landsburg, Chief Provincial Inspector with the Nova Scotia SPCA, in a news release. “Unfortunately, Buddy was a victim of the many manifestations of animal abuse, both physically and psychologically.
The pair were charged in April after the SPCA received a complaint in March that an emaciated dog had been brought to a veterinary hospital by a good Samaritan.
The veterinarian admitted the dog and was rendering live-saving treatments. When the dog was stable, it was seized by SPCA enforcement officers and taken to the SPCA Dartmouth Animal Hospital.
Through the course of the investigation, it was determined that the dog belonged to Fiddes and Riley. In Nova Scotia, when an animal is seized by an enforcement agency including the SPCA, the owner has a right to an appeal by the Animal Welfare Appeal Board. No appeal was filed by the pair with the Animal Welfare Board and the dog became the property of the SPCA.
It eventually had to be euthanized.
The pair were each fined $100 ordered to pay total restitution of $1,518.68 to the SPCA along with $245.60 to Fundy Veterinarians Ltd.
They are also prohibited from owning, possessing or caring for any type of animal for five years, with the exception of their three cats. That exception permits them to keep their cats provided they take them for a veterinary examination within 30 days of the court decision and every year after that for the duration of the order.
