Body camera footage has captured the rescue of a severely malnourished dog in June, the first time an SPCA inspector's body camera video has been publically released.
In the video, released to Newshub by the SPCA, the starving young dog can be seen flinching away and avoiding the inspector who came to help.
The inspector offers her biscuits to lure her closer, eventually managing to snag a lead around her neck and bringing her into a van.
Auckland SPCA CEO Andrea Midgen told Newshub it took nearly three months for her to recover to the point she could be rehomed.
"[She was] really anxious, really scared, and starving - not in a good state at all," she said.
"When anyone goes through a trauma like that, you get some mental issues, so she was very anxious and scared and frightened about what was going to happen to her.
"There was a lot of engaging with her so she could trust people."
The dog's owners haven't been prosecuted and instead went through an education program, Ms Midgen said.
She said they get hundreds of dogs a year coming through in that condition.
"When an animal that's been mistreated or suffered some sort of cruelty of neglect, we assess them from a physical point of view and a mental health point of view... to make sure they can be rehomed," Ms Midgen said.
"But just like human beings, some animals can't get over traumas."
She wants the release of the video to help make the public aware of what sort of abuse nearby animals can be suffering, and encourages them to speak to their neighbours or the SPCA if there's anything wrong.
"A lot of people get busy in their lives and they don't even see what's going on," Ms Midgen said.
Auckland isn't the only city with the issue. In June, the Southland SPCA issued an appeal for help after a rise in animal cruelty cases in the region.
In one case, an elderly cat was shot and injured so badly, his leg had to be amputated.
The SPCA said it was unusual for there to be so many cases of violence against animals at the same time.
Newshub.
