A Sydney student who zipped his puppy into a suitcase and dumped him in the stairwell ahead of an apartment inspection has been fined the small amount of $200.
Jiahang Cai from Rhodes, Sydney, forced his male golden retriever inside a black, 48-centimetres wide suitcase before zipping it shut and leaving it unattended in the fire escape.
He’s reportedly been ordered to pay court costs for committing an act of cruelty and confining an animal inside a small cage.
“The accused did this because he was having his carpet cleaned before a property assessment and had to leave for an exam,” RSPCA inspector Tyson Hohlein said in a statement tendered to court.
Daily Mail reports that two people released the puppy and moved him to safety.
Cai was asked to surrender the dog to the RSPCA, in which he initially declined. However, he turned his puppy into the care of RSPCA after two months, The Daily Telegraph reports.
The puppy has since been renamed Harvey and is living under the care of new owners.
