A MENTALLY ill woman convicted of kicking her dog outside a Waroona hotel was fined in Mandurah Magistrates Court on Tuesday.
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Sally Louise Huber, 54, was charged with ill treating an animal contrary to the Animal Welfare Act following the January 14 incident which was captured on CCTV.
The court heard Huber was outside the hotel when she took a running kick at the male Rhodesian ridgeback, causing it to hit its head against a glass window.
Huber was then heard to say, “It’s a shame a dog makes you kick it like that because it won’t do as it's told”.
A witness to the incident called the RSPCA who arranged for Waroona Shire rangers to seize the dog.
Counsel for Huber said her client suffered from chronic mental illness and had been “quite unwell” at the time of the incident.
Huber was said to have been under delusions that she was being controlled by extra-terrestrials and was able to communicate with dogs.
The offence was said to be out of character, with Huber “overwhelmed by grief” in the immediate aftermath of the incident.
A former veterinary nurse, Huber was described as having a long-standing love of animals, and was distraught over the loss of her dog which was placed in care, but had since gone missing.
The maximum penalty for the offence is $50,000.
Magistrate Vivien Edwards fined Huber $2000 plus court costs.
