SPCA prosecution: Dog owner sentenced for beating his puppy

A Whakatane man has been sentenced after beating his puppy, the attack caught on CCTV video footage.

The man pleaded guilty in the Whakatane District Court to one charge of ill-treatment of his puppy King, after beating him intensely in 2018. This morning he was sentenced to 240 hours’ community service, disqualified from owning animals for three years, and ordered to pay SPCA $314.17.

The case began in September 2018, when a NZ Police Constable provided an SPCA Inspector with CCTV video footage of a puppy being beaten by his owner in a backyard.

The footage showed the man beating his puppy intensely for nine minutes, sometimes with small children present.

The offender chased King around the backyard, then struck him with a small object at least six times, then struck him with a broom with such force that the broom broke. He then struck King multiple times with the broken broom handle, then crushed King with his body weight against the ground and over the top of a wooden fence. He then hit King with his hand forcefully three times, yanked him forcefully by a rope attached around the dog’s neck, hung King off the ground by the rope, and then swung King into a wooden fence.

King can be heard to be crying and yelping, and is seen cowering in fear and repeatedly trying to escape the attack.

A search warrant was then issued at the man’s address, and King, as well as items used in the attack, were seized by SPCA Inspectors.

When the man was formally interviewed and shown the footage, he stated he believed the dog had nipped one of his children, and said he was only trying to “contain” the dog. He admitted he may have gone overboard in the heat of the moment, but said he had not intended to hurt the dog.

King was surrendered to SPCA Tauranga Centre and was subsequently rehomed to a loving family.

“The video footage obtained in this case shows a beating that is horrific in its intensity and duration, and is devastating to watch,” says Andrea Midgen, SPCA CEO.

“Violence in communities must never be tolerated. Unfortunately, cases of violence against animals is something our SPCA Inspectors see all too often.”

“Thanks to the work of SPCA, King has settled in beautifully with his new family, this cruel period firmly behind him.”