CONVICTED (2017) | Carl Pugh, born 23/11/1982, of Elizabeth Avenue, Bilston WV14 8DZ – filmed savagely beating his dog next to a canal
Carl Pugh was caught on CCTV hitting his American bulldog called Jeff five times, before picking him up and holding him over the canal.
Pugh was convicted in his absence of causing unnecessary suffering to the dog after failing to turn up for his trial.
As they sentenced Pugh, magistrates described his actions as a ‘despicable way to treat a dog’.
RSPCA inspector Vicki Taylor said: “Pugh claimed that Jeff dragged him into the canal and that he got his foot wet, so he hit him – but he said that the CCTV made it look worse than it was, and he said that he loved the dog and would never harm him.
“But the CCTV showed a different story. On the footage, Pugh can clearly be seen hitting Jeff five times and then picking him up and holding him over the canal.
“The magistrates said in court that it was a ‘despicable way to treat a dog’ and they are right. There is no excuse to treat any animal like this.
“We’d like to thank everyone who contacted us with information after seeing the shocking video online.”
She added: “Jeff is a lovely dog and he hasn’t got an aggressive bone in his body. It is so sad that he went through this.”
Sentencing: 12-week curfew; costs and charges totalling £185. Disqualified from keeping animals for two years (expired December 2019).