The woman being hunted by the SPCA over starved puppy Eve says she's no mongrel.
Paulette Taki's name was publicly released by the animal welfare group earlier last week because it believed she had information about one of New Zealand's worst-ever cases of animal neglect.
The 11-month-old Ridgeback cross was just a day from death when SPCA officers who named her Eve rescued her on Christmas Eve from under Taki's state house in the Auckland suburb of Glen Innes.
The SPCA believe she had been starved for five weeks, surviving on flies and her own faeces. Down to 10kg, every bone in Eve's body was visible and she could barely stand.
But when Sunday News tracked Taki down to a relative's home in Katikati, north of Tauranga, on Thursday, she denied responsibility for the pup's poor condition saying she had left it in a relative's care while she was away visiting a terminally-ill aunt.
"I told (a relative) to look after my dog, I gave (her) the dog rolls and that because I had to come down here," Taki said.
"I'm not taking the blame, hell no."
Taki said she was unaware of the public fury over Eve's shocking state. She said she was only texted earlier this week by a relative, telling her the SPCA had taken her dog and she was in trouble.
Taki said she had only meant to be away from her Glen Innes home one night, travelling to the Bay of Plenty to say goodbye to her dying aunt, but then decided to stay on once she passed away.
"I said (to my relation), `I'm not taking the blame, I left my dog with you'.
"She knows it's her fault. She is going to take all the blame and all the responsibility."
Taki said she is "shattered" by what has happened and that she loved, fed and cared for Eve who she had been taking care of for another relative who was in jail.
"She's a good girl and her name's not Eve it's Ninja," she said.
Taki denies SPCA claims that Eve had been starved for five weeks. She said she fed Eve and only put her under the house at night. She also dismissed their description of Eve's treatment as being one of the worst cases of abuse they had seen.
"Oh, they say that about heaps of dogs, eh? They always say it's the worst they've seen."
Auckland SPCA general manager David Lloyd-Barker vowed to do everything in his power to make sure Eve's owners are held accountable for her shocking condition.
Under the Animal Welfare Act, anyone convicted of animal cruelty can be fined up to $25,000 and/or jailed for up to six months.
But Taki is adamant she will not be taken to court.
"No way. I'm not going to get prosecuted. I left my dog with (my relation) and it was her responsibility while I was down here, but I will sort it out."
Meanwhile, Eve is progressing well and has put on 7kg.
Sunday News will pass on the details of Taki's whereabouts to the SPCA.
Topic: The woman being hunted by the SPCA over starved puppy Eve says she's no mongrel. (Read 2228 times)