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.
Fortunate Rescue: Deaf Dog Stung Countless Times by Bees Receives Lifesaving Help
As if being stung by thousands of bees wasn’t already bad enough, he was abandoned at a shelter after the incident by his family.
The deaf Pit Bull, subsequently dubbed Stinger by rescuers, came at the shelter covered in life-threatening blisters all over his body.
As they couldn’t treat a dog in this bad of condition, they planned on euthanizing him.
That’s when Carri Shipaila, who operates LuvnPupz rescue in Greater Grand Rapids, MI, stepped in to help. As soon as she heardaout Stinger, she hopped in her car and drove nearly an hour to take him up from the shelter.
Regrettably, his family declined to take him, so she immediately began to work to save Stinger’s life. They treated his stings, as well as a subsequent skin infection and sarcoptic mange.
Unfortunately, he wound up having Pemphigus, an autoimmune illness, which he will suffer for the rest of his life.
Because of the costs of his care, he will never be up for adoption, but he did find a loving forever home with a foster and will continue to receive care and therapy from LuvnPupz.
Stinger has come such a long way from when he first was dumped at the shelter. His painful blisters have finally healed and he has a gorgeous white coat.
He is such a lively, loving dog and is enjoying his new life in a loving home!
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