The pet dog had sustained several injuries over a period of weeks, according to a vet Photo: Supplied/SPCA
A woman who threw her pet dog against a wall, breaking multiple bones and puncturing his lung, has been sentenced to community detention by the Porirua District Court and banned from owning dogs for three years.
The SPCA, which charged the woman with reckless ill-treatment of an animal, said an inspector was called to the property in April 2022 and found the white terrier called Mister tethered to an outdoor stair rail at the back of the building.
He was lying on his side with one eye swollen and red.
The inspector was concerned, so took the little dog to the nearest veterinary clinic for emergency treatment before transferring him to the SPCA's Wellington base.
A veterinarian who assessed Mister said he appeared to be in "immense pain", particularly on his ribs, abdomen and left shoulder, which made a "crunching" noise when moved.
X-rays showed Mister had multiple rib fractures, some of which appeared to be between two and four weeks old, a punctured lung and a severely broken shoulder.
His owner told SPCA inspectors that the night before, the dog had woken her and her sleeping children after getting his claw caught in a rug.
While trying to help him, she accidentally stood in his excrement, which made her angry.
"The following day, the defendant decided to punish Mister by putting him on a leash outside. But when she did this, Mister tried to bite her.
The owner admitted to SPCA inspectors that she had thrown the dog. Photo: SPCA
She told inspectors: "I just grabbed him by his collar, pulled him up, put it on and I just went boot, and then just threw him".
She said she had kicked Mister "to discipline him" and had not intended to hurt the dog.
SPCA chief executive Todd Westwood said such "horrific abuse and violence" towards animals was unacceptable.
"It's sickening to think of the fear, pain and distress this helpless family pet endured at the hands of the person who was meant to care for him," he said. "Mister did not deserve any of this, and I'm so grateful that SPCA was alerted to this abuse before it could continue."
Mister spent several weeks receiving care and eventually made a full recovery. He has since been adopted.
The defendant pleaded guilty and sentenced to one month of community detention and six months' supervision.
She was also disqualified from owning dogs for three years and ordered to pay reparations of $598.17
