A man who threw a dog against a wall, blinding him in one eye, after claiming the dog was "preventing him from relaxing" has been fined almost $3000 and disqualified from owning or exercising authority over pets for five years.
Alexander McGregor was sentenced today in the Tauranga District Court after being prosecuted by the SPCA, the animal welfare charity said in a statement.
McGregor was also fined $2,000 to the SPCA, reparations of $824.70 to the dog's owner, and $130 in court costs.
The incident occurred in November 2018, when McGregor was at home with his girlfriend. The pair had been caring for Rafa, a male Maltese cross, who belonged to his partner's mother.
McGregor became annoyed with the dog and picked him up, where he carried him down the hallway to a bedroom. After reaching the room, McGregor threw Rafa into the room using a rugby pass motion, causing him to hit a wall.
After McGregor's girlfriend was made aware of the injury, the pair took the dog to an after-hours veterinary clinic, where it was discovered Rafa's left eye had prolapsed. There was also swelling of the inner eyelids and bleeding was apparent in the white of the eye.
Rafa was noted to have cried out as the vet touched his neck and face. It was also confirmed that he had permanently lost sight in his left eye.
McGregor admitted to an SPCA inspector that he had become "annoyed" with Rafa, claiming that he was not well-trained and was "preventing him from relaxing."
"In one moment, Rafa was blinded in one eye by the very person who was meant to be caring for him," SPCA CEO Andrew Midgen said. "The pain he suffered was extreme, as his eye increased in pressure.
"There is absolutely no excuse for violence against animals, and the life-long consequences for this dog were completely avoidable, unnecessary, and cruel."
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