The SPCA has released its annual list of shame, profiling the worst cases of abuse it has seen over the last year.
Severe neglect and attacks feature in the 15 items, as well as a puppy mill, a pet store and animal abandonment.
- Tauranga man sentenced for horrific neglect of two dogs
- Whangarei woman sentenced after dog left chained up with no access to water
- 'The perfect home': Christchurch dog George, victim of horrific abuse, adopted from SPCA
The top spot went to a pair of elderly poodles so neglected they no longer resembled dogs. Daisy and Lola were discovered in a garage suffering from matted fur, arthritis, extensive dental disease and deafness from several untreated ear infections. They were also nearly blind.
"When we found the sisters, we couldn't believe the neglect that had taken place - they didn't even look like dogs," inspector Kelly King said.
The SPCA said the dogs should have been groomed once every six to eight weeks, but they had been neglected for the better part of two years.
Number two on the list was a puppy mill where the SPCA seized 40 German shepherds. Dogs and puppies were found tethered on short leashes, tangled up in urine-soaked newspaper and living in their own waste at the farm.
Horrific cases of animal attacks featured on the list many times, including one dog beaten with weapons, another who died in its owners arms when a flatmate slit its throat and a puppy beaten so by its owner severely it sustained leg fractures, which were not treated.
A pet store featured in the list for the first time after it was found to have failed to care for the animals in its care.
Many of the featured animals had to be put down due to the severity of the abuse, including two sick horses, a kitten abandoned in a rubbish bin and three dogs who became aggressive due to the abuse.
The other animals were adopted into loving families. Neglected poodles Daisy and Lola were adopted together and are thriving in their golden years.
The list was released to coincide with the organisation's annual appeal for donations, saying its work costs $9 million a year.
Newshub.
