The trial of the owners of three dogs who were locked in an apartment without supervision or access to water and food ended with a guilty verdict. The incident took place less than a year ago in Warsaw's Ochota district.
At the end of December last year, the Viva! Foundation and police officers intervened in an apartment at Złotego Smoka Street in Ochotawhere three dogs were left unattended for several days. Concerned neighbors reported the situation. According to their reports, the animal owners left the apartment with suitcases before Christmas.
Two pugs and a French bulldog were trapped in the apartment. “One was tied with a leash to a table leg, and the other two were locked in the bathroom. None of the dogs had access to water or food, and the apartment was filled with the stench of feces,” the foundation describes. The four-legged animals were severely neglected, smelly, had overgrown and twisted claws, had untreated diseases, and one of them was very emaciated.
Judgment for the owners
As the foundation's representatives now inform, the case ended up in court. On Monday, the dog owners: a 56-year-old woman and a 46-year-old man were sentenced to seven and four months' imprisonment, suspended for two years. In addition, the court imposed a three-year ban on them from owning any animals. Additionally, he ordered the payment of compensation to the foundation in the amount of PLN 7,000. zloty.
In court, the accused dog owners cited various circumstances in which they tried to justify their actions. None of these stories were confirmed by facts, but the height of absurdity was the explanation that the dogs were supposed to lock themselves in the bathroom, where the door opened to the outside of the room – says attorney Katarzyna Topczewska, representative of the Viva! Foundation, quoted in the announcement.
The maximum penalty for animal cruelty under the Animal Protection Act is five years in prison. – Taking into account the possible penalty, we would of course expect the penalties to be more severe, but looking at the case law so far, this judgment can be considered a step in the right direction – says Paweł Artyfikiewicz from the Viva! Foundation.
The judgment is not final.
Main photo source: Viva! Foundation