A man bitten on the finger by a Yorkshire terrier in a crowded pub beat the dog so badly it had to be put down. Leighton Collins, 49, took Buster out of the Nightingale Pub in Bettws in Newport, run by his partner, to show him who was "the governor".
Abergavenny magistrates heard how Collins, who admitted animal cruelty, had been drinking before the attack. He was banned from keeping pets, given a 12-month community punishment order and told to pay costs of around �1000.
The court heard how Collins had been drinking in the pub run by his partner in October 2005 when he was bitten by Buster. He took him outside to carry out the attack but was seen by a passer-by who alerted police. Prosecutor Katy Hanson told the court the witness had seen Collins holding Buster in his arms and punching him several times. A police officer called at the pub and saw Buster had blood around his eyes, nose and mouth and had laboured breathing as well as showing signs of terror. A vet also visited but it was not until the next day that the extent of the animal's injuries became clear. There was swelling around the eyes, bleeding and the animal was "vague and unsteady on his feet". The injuries meant the dog had to be put down, the court heard.
During police interviews, Collins said Buster had bitten several customers beforehand and he felt he needed to discipline him. He said the biting "set me off a little bit". "You know, showing me up - because he did show me up - in front of 20 people and you know what people are like, they laugh 'who's the governor?' sort of thing. Collins said he did not realise at first how badly he had injured Buster. In police interviews he said: "I'm very very sorry, I didn't mean to do what I did. I meant to sort him out - to show him I'm the governor - but I went a bit to far. Louise Warren, defending, said: "He describes the incident that night as losing control. He understands his behaviour was inappropriate. "He sits here today remorseful over what has happened to Buster."
Outside court, RSPCA inspector Edwina Davidson said: "It's always inappropriate to punish an animal in this way - you don't lash out with your fists. References
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