Man sentenced for beating dog with shovel

The sentence will be served alongside a term of imprisonment for an unrelated Police charge.

In September 2024, a witness heard a dog yelping at the defendant’s address and saw him hitting Marama with force on her body and head using a large shovel. He then threw the shovel at her, striking her head. Marama tried retreating while yelping and whimpering, before running into a corner of the yard.

When confronted, the defendant told the witness he was hitting Marama because she had toileted on his deck.

When SPCA Inspectors and police attended the property, the defendant refused to cooperate. He attempted to downplay the abuse by throwing a small plastic dustpan and brush on the ground, claiming that was what he had used, refusing to answer further questions from Inspectors.

SPCA CEO Todd Westwood said the deliberate attack on Marama was horrifying.

“It’s heartbreaking to think of Marama going through such a cruel attack by a person who was meant to care for her wellbeing. Animals that endure treatment such as this have an ongoing battle learning to trust people due to the actions of one individual.

“This attack was both cruel and unnecessary and I’m grateful that our Inspectors and police stepped in when they did.”

SPCA Inspectors removed Marama from the property, and she was taken for veterinary treatment.

Upon examination, Marama avoided placing full weight on her right hind limb and flinched repeatedly when gently patted across her left shoulder, back, and hip area.

There was an area of alopecia with red/purple colouring on her right flank, and almost the entire area of the back and inside of her thigh and hock, both areas were painful when touched and were consistent with bruising and trauma.

Her left ear was thickened and there were a couple of small red, raised lesions on the inside, and there were areas of pain in both her right forelimb and hind limb.

The veterinarian concluded that Marama was suffering from soft tissue trauma consistent with the version of events described by the witness, and that the defendant’s actions would have been immensely distressing for her, resulting in both physical and emotional abuse that would have left Marama in a state of shock.

The defendant was also disqualified from owning companion animals for a period of five years and ordered to pay reparations of $198.50 and legal fees of $250.

Marama was cared for by SPCA and rehomed after her recovery.