CONVICTED (2023) | Garineh Azarian, aka Karina Azarian, born c. 1970, of Ridge House, Morecoombe Close, Kingston upon Thames KG2 7JQ – starved a puppy to death.
Azarian was convicted of causing unnecessary suffering to her one-year-old Havanese Coco – who an RSPCA inspector said was “the thinnest dog” she’d ever seen.
She initially pleaded not guilty to animal cruelty and did not accept that Coco had suffered – nor did she accept responsibility for his condition.
Wimbledon Magistrates Court heard that Azarian was of previous good character and was a “vulnerable” person. However, she was found guilty of the offence.
Azarian took Coco to a vet in October 2022 when he became lethargic and started vomiting, but would not let the vets give him antibiotics when they were made aware of his painfully emaciated condition. The vet gave him a body condition score of just one out of nine.
RSPCA inspectors Francesca Tambini and Dale Grant went to the vet practice to try and get Coco seized by police. He died not long after they arrived.
“When we arrived, I thought that the dog looked dead already,” Ms Tambini said: “There was a blanket over him, so that his head was visible and it appeared to be on some sort of drip supplement.”
She said it was upsetting to see his condition. “When the blanket was pulled back, the ribs on the dog were visibly protruding and he was missing quite a lot of fur… The dog looked like a skeleton. A few minutes after we arrived, the dog passed away.
Staff tried to resuscitate Coco, but they were unsuccessful. Ms Tambini said one vet was “extremely upset and crying”.
One of the veterinary staff members that treated Coco said the dog “could not have had appropriate veterinary care in the past” given his extreme condition.
“Despite the investigation and intensive treatment that Coco had with us, I believe that he was suffering prior to arrival and it was far too late to be able to save him.”
When RSPCA inspectors interviewed Azarian she told them she followed a raw and plant-based diet for the dog. She claimed she had been feeding him a normal 3% of his presumed body weight of three kilos since March 2022.
Azarian believed Coco’s scratching had been due to overeating and acid in his diet, and that the hair and weight loss was a normal response to detoxing. She also stated she did not believe in vaccinations, antibiotics or worming.
Vet experts later said the dog’s post mortem examination showed chronic malnutrition led to his death.
“There was also evidence of a high lungworm burden, which is a preventable disease with the use of routine worming treatments,” they added.
“In my opinion, the dog’s needs were not being met as per the Defra code – the owner failed to recognise signs of malnutrition, weight loss, poor condition, and seek veterinary advice within a reasonable time frame,” the continued, “which allowed their condition to deteriorate, and ultimately caused suffering and death”.
Sentencing | 300 hours of community work; court costs. Banned indefinitely from keeping animals.
