Starving Siberian Husky Eats Other Dog After Owner Leaves Them for Holiday Trip

A 'partially eaten body' of a 10-month-old husky Demon was found in a South Australian backyard after its owner left two huskies in the yard to starve.

Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) reported that the desperate Siberian husky, Stormy, and its dog companion was left to starve for two weeks by its owners without putting enough food or water that would last until they come back from a holiday trip. While the owners claimed otherwise, RSPCA inspector said they did not find any food bowls or water containers in the backyard.

The dead body of the 10-month-old husky Demon was found in the backyard of Christie Downs, South Australia in September 2019. The RSPCA found Stormy sniffing on the lifeless body of her male companion after the surviving dog was believed to have consumed the deceased body in the yard.

"Out of desperation, the surviving dog is believed to have partially consumed the deceased dog's body," told an RSPCA spokesman to the Daily Mail.

An Extreme Case of Neglect

A 14-week jail sentence was issued to the 31-year-old female owner, Ashley Birdseye, after she was charged with two counts of ill treatment of an animal and two counts of abandonment and convicted. The owner was ordered to pay the veterinary, prosecution and court costs amounting $1,141 and placed on a two-year good behavior bond. She was also banned from owning animals for life.

The heavily pregnant owner of her fifth child cried in the dock after the incident but was found smoking and flicking a cigarette outside the court at the 7NEWS crew.

Andrea Lewis, the charity's South Australia chief Inspector described the negligence as 'totally unacceptable'.

"This is an extreme case of neglect, with tragic consequences, and begs the question of why this person chose to have dogs in the first place, especially dogs of this breed with their high care needs in terms of grooming, exercise and diet," Lewis added.

She urged people not to get any pet or animal at all without fully understanding what they require to be properly taken care of both physically and mentally.

Re-homing of Stormy

After the incident, Australian judge described the case as 'shocking'. A video released by the RSPCA of Stormy smelling the other deceased and half-eaten dog was found disturbing by animal care groups and said it was one of the worst incidents of animal cruelty they had ever seen.

The poor skin-and-bones and starving dog was fed at a South Australian RSPCA compound and was taken into care by RSPCA after being removed from the property of Christie Downs where she was abandoned for two weeks.

When Stormy was examined by a veterinarian, the female husky was given a body condition rating of one out of nine.

Stormy was eventually rehomed after being in the care of RSPCA for three weeks and regained 76% of her body weight since then. Stormy's new owner had provided much healthier photos of Stormy in her new home with a new companion.