Ashley Leonie Simpson pleaded not guilty to the charge of cruelty to animals, which subsequently resulted in a hearing.

RSPCA Prosecutor Malcolm Caulfield called upon an animal welfare inspector, James Walker, to give evidence in relation to the charge.

Mr Walker said he received a complaint from a member of the public in relation to a dog at an address and went to investigate in April, 2021. When he arrived at the address, he said he observed a dog to be underweight.

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A month later, Mr Walker attended the address of the dog and perceived it to be in a very-thin body condition.

"I observed that the bony apertures of the dog were very visible, and protruding. I also noted that the dog's conditions to be rougher and duller than previous. There was certainly a deterioration in his body condition," Mr Walker said.

Court documents state that on May 31, 2021 Simpson was instructed to seek veterinary attention and comply with any recommendations given, and to provide appropriate food to maintain her dog in a reasonable condition.

She was ordered to complete the instructions by June 2, 2021.

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RSPCA Chief Inspector Lisa Edwards said she went to investigate the property in Mount Direction on June 4, 2021.

Upon observation she said "The dog was very skinny, I could see all her spinal processes, pelvic bones and all her ribs".

Ms Edwards said that she took the dog to Sheffield Veterinary Centre for examination. Dr Michal Riley examined the pet and assessed the animal to have a body condition of two out of nine.

"The dog was anaemic, this can be a clue as to the length of time that it has been underweight," Dr Riley said.

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Simpson said that she would feed the dog twice a day with dry and wet food. "She's very liked by the children, and they miss her, and we thought we were doing everything right," she said.

"She does go for a walk every morning and every night, she's fed twice a day unless there were scraps - like a bit of steak leftover or pasta. On occasion she will have roo."

In relation to the dog being underweight, Simpson said she had been trialling different foods for the dog in accordance with orders from the RSPCA after their first visit.

"They told us that the Coles homebrand wasn't good enough, that's the only thing that kept the weight on her. We went out straight away and brought a bag of dog food which was roughly between $30 and $40."

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Mr Caulfield said that when the dog was under the care of the RSPCA, she gained about six kilograms and her body condition improved to normal.

Magistrate Simon Brown found the charge to be proved, and ordered that Simpson's kelpie, "Gemma", would not be returned to the owner and directed that the animal be placed in the possession of the RSPCA. The defendant was disqualified from owning any canine for a period of five years.

"This is a reasonably serious case. Obviously the dog was in an emaciated, pretty dreadful condition," he said.

Simpson was fined a total of $940, including $71.40 for court costs and levys. She was also ordered to pay RSPCA's costs of keeping Gemma at $8866 .

RSPCA Inspectors investigate complaints that involve companion animals or pets, as well as small agricultural holdings or 'hobby farm' livestock.

You can report animal cruelty on 1300 139 94.

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