The sole surviving puppy of the brutal attack that left nine of her siblings dead and her attacker jailed for animal cruelty has finally been adopted into a loving home.
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The mastiff-cross, named Lucky by the RSPCA team that saved her life, was given an emotional farewell at the Hunter Shelter in Rutherford yesterday.
RSPCA spokeswoman Jess Conway said it was a happy ending to a harrowing case of animal abuse.
“It’s a huge day for everybody here at the RSPCA as well as Lucky,” Ms Conway said.
“This is what we’ve been striving for since March when she came into our care as a pretty sick young pup with serious head trauma.
“To see her today so happy and healthy and bouncing around is truly remarkable.”
While Lucky’s adopted parents declined the media spotlight, Ms Conway said they had been carefully selected from a large group of applicants because of their experience and connection with the dog.
“Lucky’s new owners are the right fit for her. They know her, they connect with her, she’s connected with them, they’ve got great breed experience, they know how to deal with her medical conditions and we’ll remain in strong contact with them as she progresses,” she said.
The six-month-old pup’s handlers said Lucky was meeting all the developmental benchmarks, displayed inquisitiveness and was in near perfect health.
“She is a special case, she does still have some anxiety she’s working through and she’s still being monitored for any ongoing problems with her head trauma,” Ms Conway said.
Lucky has spent months in foster care under RSPCA supervision since she sustained what could have been a killer blow.
Convicted puppy killer Nathan Thompson drove Luckey and her litter mates out to bushland at Kurri Kurri in March.
There he found a brick and set about killing the 11 pups one at a time.
A witness startled Thompson, who fled the scene.
He later killed five more puppies in bushland off Northcote Street.
One of the surviving pups was given to a family in Cessnock and Lucky received treatment at the Rutherford shelter.
Thompson pleaded guilty in a local court hearing at East Maitland and was immediately banned from having animals for the rest of his life.
Lucky continued to receive treatment and care throughout this time.
Magistrate Robert Stone sentenced Thompson to 12 months prison without parole in May.
Thompson filed an appeal soon after but it was dismissed.
Ms Conway said Lucky’s was a significant case that would stay with the inspectors, vets and staff for years to come.
“The inspector who was first called to the scene, this is very much still fresh in his mind,” she said.
“The vets that had to work on Lucky as well as do autopsies on all nine siblings that didn’t make it, it’s something that everyone here at the RSPCA has had to deal with.”
