February 02, 2016
A West Philadelphia woman has been convicted of animal cruelty and has been fined $750 and prohibited from owning a pet for 90 days after the Pennsylvania SPCA said she allowed her German shepherd to starve to death because she was “afraid of it.”
According to Metro, the PSPCA has decried the punishment for 30-year-old Jamie Rutledge as inadequate.
PSPCA CEO Jerry Buckley said in a statement that “while we feel satisfied that the offender will face some penalty, it is clear in this case that the punishment does not fit the crime. When an animal suffers, and ultimately dies, the responsible parties need to be held accountable for their actions. Such a minimal penalty is not much of a deterrent to others who may be inclined toward cruelty.”
The PSPCA said it received a tip about a dead animal at Rutledge's residence on North Ithan Street on Jan. 9, Metro reports.
A necropsy was performed, and the PSPCA said the cause of death was ruled starvation.
The PSPCA said in a press release that Rutledge told the agency she was “afraid of the dog and stopped feeding it."
Read the full Metro report here.
