A Palmerston North man’s brutal attacks on two puppies — both approximately four months old — had them screaming in pain and left them lame, according to an appalled SPCA.
Warning: This article contains details that could be disturbing to some people.
The man has now pleaded guilty to charges of willful ill-treatment of animals, according to the SPCA.
The Palmerston North District Court heard that in July last year, a woman saw the man approach the two tan crossbreed puppies, known as King and Hunnie.
According to the SPCA, the witness said they heard the puppies screaming, with the man holding what appeared to be half a broken fence baton approximately 70cm long.
“The witness saw the offender thrash around with the fence baton for a few minutes then one of the puppies, Hunnie, ran from under [a] tree and down the road. The other puppy, King, ran to the front porch appearing to be lame on his left hind leg.
“As the offender hit King several times with the baton using his full force, the puppy could be heard screaming. The front door of the house opened, and the man and King went inside. The witness heard multiple thumps with pauses in between.
“Each thump was accompanied by a screaming puppy sound.”
Veterinary examinations revealed King had suffered a broken thigh bone, broken rib, bruised lung, and a painful air pocket in his chest. Hunnie had a fractured pelvis and suspected blunt trauma to her hindlimb, according to the SPCA.
Inspectors then attended the property after being alerted to the incident.
“King was lame on his right leg, had blood on his gums, a small cut on his tongue, and darker patches on his feet which may have been bruising.
“The other puppy, Hunnie, was also lame on her right hind leg and looked to have a bloodshot eye. Both puppies behaved fearfully around the offender, shaking, and crouching low with tails between their legs.”
An SPCA veterinarian concluded the injuries would have caused severe pain for the puppies both at the time of injury and after and were consistent with blunt force trauma.
“Fracture margins were found to be sharp, suggesting they were fresh. The offender declined to be interviewed,” a spokesperson said for the charity.
The organisation’s chief executive, Todd Westwood, thanked the member of the public for alerting authorities to the incident.
“I am grateful to the member of public for her brave intervention to get help for the puppies. You heard their helpless screams and knew to take action, thank you,” he said.
“These puppies should have had better care from the person responsible for them, not made to cower in fear of being beaten.”
He was sentenced to 14 months home detention and was disqualified from owning dogs for seven years.
