A South Australian woman previously convicted of animal cruelty will face court tomorrow after being charged with breaching a court order that limited the number of dogs she was allowed to have.
Kerrie Fitzpatrick, 48, was handed a suspended jail sentence in August after being found guilty of 16 animal cruelty offences for keeping 300 dogs on a breeding farm in horrific conditions.
As part of her sentence, she was given a $500 good behaviour bond for three years, ordered to not have any dogs other than her two pets at the time, and told not to sell any animals.
In October, the RSPCA raided Fitzpatrick’s property in Lewiston, on the far northern outskirts of Adelaide, and seized 86 dogs and puppies that were allegedly in her care.
“Ms Fitzpatrick has been on our radar for some time, and this is an example of RSPCA South Australia performing its duty of care and actively enforcing prohibition orders,” RSPCA South Australia’s Chief Inspector Andrew Baker said in October.
“Ms Fitzpatrick was on the premises yesterday and we will be alleging that she is the sole owner of the property and that the dogs were in her custody, which puts her in breach of her court order.”
Fitzpatrick is due to face the Elizabeth Magistrates Court tomorrow.
Before her sentencing in August, the court heard Fitzpatrick had multiple convictions in Victoria, where she was handed a 10-year ban on working as a breeder before she moved to South Australia to do the same thing.
“If there was anyone who should have been obsessed about not being involved in a dog-selling business, it was you,” Magistrate Karim Soetratma said.
Police smash car window to save dog from 115F heat
Police were forced to smash a car window to rescue a dog from scorching 115F (46C) temperatures in Sarasota, Florida.
Officers were called to a car park on University Parkway on Tuesday following reports of a dog locked inside a car.
A dog, appearing faint, was found inside with no trace of its owner. According to police, the temperature inside was 115F (46C).
Matthew Grochowski, an officer for the Sarasota Police Department, was filmed smashing the window of the car in body camera footage of the incident, shared to Facebook on Friday.
“It’s panting and and drooling all over the place”, the officer says in the footage.
“Oh my god he’s starting to go down, that’s not good,” another officer, from the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office Animal Services, adds.
With the backing of Sgt Louis Buck, the officer was filmed striking a back window of the car, and smashed it on the third try, with glass falling to the floor.
“It’s OK buddy,” the officer tells the dog, which appeared to be a form of pit bull. “Come on, good boy.”
The dog was taken from the back of the car, and into an awaiting kennel by Sarasota animal services.
Following the incident, the Sarasota Police Department issued a warning for dog owners not to lock animals inside cars.
“Please don’t leave pets in hot cars,” said the post, “[and] always remember to look before you lock for pets, children and elderly loved ones.”
The owner of the dog was issued with two citations by Animal Services, who returned the dog.
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