Parliament provided a clear direction to the judiciary when it unanimously increased penalties for animal cruelty in 2010, writes Catriona MacLennan.

An Auckland woman has been convicted of neglecting five horses in her care - one of which died of starvation.

A family cat cut into pieces and a carabiner threaded through the neck of a dog are among the most inhumane treatment of animals on the SPCA's annual list of shame.

A nurse who starved her pets and kept them in filthy conditions has been banned from owning animals for 10 years.

A young huntaway that was seized from its owner after becoming badly malnourished has bounced back in the care of a loving Bay of Plenty family.