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Northland has one of the worst animal cruelty records in the country and regularly tops the SPCA's annual animal cruelty list of shame.

Cruelty linked to abuse in homes

reprinted with permission by the Northern Advocate
by Andre Hueber

SPCA manager Francine Shields is pleased with the Government's revised penalties for animal cruelty and hopes the judicial system will start handing them out so people get the message.

The maximum sentence for wilful ill-treatment of an animal has been increased from three to five years and the maximum fine doubled to $100,000 for an individual and $500,000 for a company. Penalties increase for a range of other neglect and ill-treatment offences and the Act expands the law relating to forfeiture of animals and disqualification from having them.

Northland has one of the worst animal cruelty records in the country and regularly tops the SPCA's annual animal cruelty list of shame. Northland's high ratio was partly a product of its lower socio-economic, largely uneducated population, Ms Shields said.

"It's a cycle of abuse which continues and is similar to domestic and child abuse -they can be linked together," she said.

Because of this a protocol had been instigated between the SPCA and Child Youth and Family. Abuse was insidious, Ms Shields said.
"If the dog is starving and in poor conditions, it's possibly happening in the household as well." She said there was often an exertion of power taking place in households and animals could be victims in forcing control.
"Offenders use animals to gain power - 'I can do this to an animal, look what I can do to you'," she said.

Ms Shields was pleased the threshold for wilful acts of cruelty had been dropped.
"In the past animals had to be killed or permanently injured but now they just needed to be hurt and requiring medical attention."