Puppies dumped in Lifeline bin

Natasha Jennings-Nicole pleaded guilty to dumping eight puppies.

MEGAN LEWIS

A MONTH after giving birth to her own baby, Natasha Jennings-Nicole dumped eight puppies – just days old – in a Lifeline donation bin.

The 25-year-old Park Avenue woman pleaded guilty in Rockhampton Magistrates Court yesterday to placing the two- or three-day-old pups in a freezer bag and dumping them in the bin on September 28 last year around 8am.

On that day about 9.30am someone walking past the bin heard the animals crying, looked and found them hot and stressed and took them straight to a Rockhampton veterinary clinic.

Six of the dogs later died and two were rehomed.

On September 29, the RSPCA received a tip-off from the public that Jennings-Nicole had dumped the dogs.

Lawyer Paul Wonnocott said in defence of the actions of Jennings-Nicole, she was having a difficult time both personally and financially.

The mother of the pups and another dog, both belonging to her partner, had already had previous litters, and getting rid of those pups had cost them money in either vaccination costs or council fees.

“Financially they were desperate,” Mr Wonnocott said.

It was only after an unsuccessful visit to a vet surgery, hoping it would take the puppies, that she saw the Lifeline bin and dumped them.

“It wasn’t a planned thing,” he said.

“It was an unfortunate spur-of-the-moment decision.”

Magistrate John McGrath said he took into account her degree of financial turmoil before fining Jennings-Nicole $2500, half which was to be paid to the RSPCA.

She was also ordered to pay $73.80 in court costs and $230.70 compensation to the RSPCA for veterinary services.

“By your plea of guilty you have acknowledged that what you did was wrong,” Magistrate McGrath said.

No conviction was recorded, however Jennings-Nicole was prohibited from buying or taking ownership of a dog for five years.

The couple was allowed to maintain ownership of their second dog provided that the RSPCA was allowed to check on it.