A Tauranga man has been sentenced for shooting his neighbour's elderly dog in the rear end with a shotgun.
Logan Bragg appeared in the Tauranga District Court on Friday and was ordered to pay $221.50 in costs and $500 in emotional reparations to the family of an eight-year-old Boxer named Bourbon. He'd been found guilty of the offence in September.
Bourbon walked through an open gate onto Bragg's property on March 26 last year, and he shot the dog in the rear.
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When the dog returned home his owner found him in a "very distressed state", dragging one of his back legs and "bleeding profusely", the SPCA said.
His owner immediately took him to a vet, who found numerous small hole wounds across his thighs, hips and tail. The wounds were painful to touch and Bourbon was showing signs of shock due to blood loss.
Blood was dripping from his anus and the tip of his penis, indicating internal trauma likely to be penetration of the rectal wall and possibly the bladder. He was at high risk of developing peritonitis - inflammation of the thin layer of tissue covering the inside of the abdomen.
Bourbon's owner decided to have him put down due to his age, the nature and extent of his injuries and the risk of further complications.
Shortly after the incident the owner's husband received a voicemail from Bragg claiming the dog "pissed on my furniture again". He called Bourbon a "little bugger", described the weapon he shot him with and said it wouldn't happen again now.
Bragg told SPCA inspectors he had the right to shoot Bourbon because the dog had charged at him aggressively. Despite what he said in the voicemail, he denied he'd shot Bourbon because he'd urinated on his furniture.
The judge dismissed Bragg's claims, saying Bourbon was an elderly dog with a gentle disposition. He'd recently suffered a broken leg and had damaged paw pads, which restricted his movement.
"SPCA is pleased that this sentence includes payment of emotional reparations to Bourbon's family, who were distraught at what their beloved family pet went through," said CEO Andrea Midgen.
"It is unacceptable to inflict this level of suffering on an elderly animal simply because they walk onto your property. The defendant should have spoken with his neighbours about Bourbon's behaviour rather than resorting to violence."
Newshub.
