Callous Adelaide dad and his glamorous daughter put their adorable pet poodles through deadly hell
WARNING: Details of animal abuse
A father and his daughter have received suspended jail sentences after their callous neglect of two pet poodles killed one and left the other horrifically injured.
Glenn Morgan, 64, and his 28-year-old daughter, Kristina, from Davoren Park, in Adelaide’s north, faced Elizabeth Magistrates Court on Tuesday.
The pair were convicted of ill-treating an animal and causing death or serious harm.
RSPCA South Australia were first alerted by a veterinarian clinic on July 21, 2023, after treating a five-year-old toy poodle named Dexter with ‘extreme signs of neglect’.
The pooch was in so much pain it needed to be sedated just to undergo an examination, where it was found to have matted fur strangling all four of its legs.
One of his front paws had been ‘cut through to the bone’ by the tangled fur while most of his teeth had also fallen out and he had a hernia in his stomach.
‘The prognosis for the dog was so poor that euthanasia was the only humane option,’ an RSPCA South Australia spokesman said.
Inspectors and police found a 12-year-old poodle called Teddy at the family’s home in a similar desperate condition.
Adelaide woman, Kristina Morgan (pictured), and dad Glenn have been sentenced after they neglected their two dogs to the point one was euthanised and the other maimed
Teddy had also lost most of his teeth and had pus seeping from his ears, which Mr Morgan said had been ongoing for at least two months.
Inspectors said Teddy also had badly-matted fur, struggled to stand upright and was constantly shaking his head in pain due to the severe ear infection.
Mr Morgan agreed to surrender Teddy to inspectors so he could be examined by an RSPCA vet.
Teddy was found to have ‘holes between his nose and mouth where the upper canines had been’ which needed urgent surgery to be closed up.
‘Underneath his flea-ridden, dreadlocked coat, Teddy was also underweight and found to have untreated heart disease,’ RSPCA SA said.
But extensive treatment and months of recovery in foster care meant Teddy was able to recover and was permanently adopted in July.
Morgan father and daughter were both sentenced to three months and 15 days behind bars, suspended on a two-year good behaviour bond.
They are also prohibited from owning any animals ‘until further order’, with the exemption of two cats and a parrot owned by a relative at the same home.
The two toy poodles, Teddy (pictured, now in foster care), and Dexter were found with matted fur and had lost a number of teeth after a significant time without care from either owner
The daughter and dad (pictured) were sentenced to three months and 15 days behind bars, suspended on two-year good behaviour bonds
Magistrate Lana Chester slammed the pair during sentencing and said the offences were made even more serious because of Dexter’s death.
She added that the dying dog’s deteriorating condition would have taken a significant amount of time without any intervention of either owner.
‘Dexter would have suffered in considerable pain,’ Magistrate Chester told the court.
‘Animals are defenceless, vulnerable beings entirely reliant upon their humans for food, shelter and care.’
RSPCA SA Chief Inspector Andrew Baker said the owners showcased an ‘extremely disturbing’ failure to recognise either dogs’ basic needs.
‘No-one was washing them, no-one was grooming them, no-one seemed to even be aware of the suffering happening right in front of them,’ he said in a statement.
‘We urge people to not acquire an animal without first understanding and committing to the time and money required to maintain their health and overall wellbeing.’
