Puppy locked in bathroom while owners on two week vacation

A sad case of animal cruelty has resulted in a $400 fine for a London, Ontario couple who kept their nine-week-old puppy locked in a bathroom while they went on a two-week vacation.

The Chihuahua mix dog, now named Peanut, was found by the London Humane Society on January 6, 2015 after a superintendent in the couple’s apartment building heard crying from inside their unit. After obtaining a search warrant to enter the empty residence, the Humane Society found Peanut locked in a bathroom with an empty water dish, a bag of dog food and fecal matter all over its body.

Peanut had been locked up for three to four days before being found.

The puppy’s owners, Gabrielle Penney, 20, and Kyle O’Neill, 26, have since been charged with four counts of animal cruelty, including causing and permitting distress and failing to provide care and appropriate sanitary conditions. They pleaded guilty in court and were given a $400 fine, six months probation and are banned from owning or caring for any animal for 10 years.

Peanut has since been adopted.