A man has been banned from keeping animals for life after he pinned a dog to the ground and hit him twice on the head with a shovel.
Craig Price, from Wakefield, was seen dragging Moschino, a Bull Mastiff-type dog, out of the house by the scruff of his neck before picking up a large metal-ended shovel and striking him twice on the head. He then stamped on the dog’s head with his knee as his pet lay on the floor.
Neighbours who witnessed the brutal attack, which happened in the back garden of a house in Keswick Drive, Castleford on December 29, 2022, reported it to the RSPCA.
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Price, 33, was prosecuted by the charity and found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to Moschino and a German Shepherd-type dog called Snowy following a trial on February 26 this year. He had previously denied two offences contrary to the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
At a sentencing hearing on April 29, Kirklees Magistrates Court heard how an RSPCA officer, accompanied by police, had visited Price’s house to talk to him after witnesses had described seeing him raise the snow shovel above his head and “whack” Moschino with it and “stomp” on the animal’s head with his knee with the same force.
The court heard how Price was initially calm but his demeanour then instantly changed when the allegation was put to him.
In her written evidence the RSPCA officer said: “Mr Price instantly knew what I was talking about. He replied that he had taken the dog outside and shouted at him, but he denied that he had used any physical force. He said there was a shovel out there for picking up after the dogs – but again denied hitting them with it.”
Price then became verbally aggressive and started shouting and threatening the officers. Get all the latest and breaking news in Yorkshire by signing up to our newsletter here.
The RSPCA officer’s statement continued: “Most concerning to me was as soon as the voice of the owner became raised, the demeanour of the two dogs in the property completely changed. I noticed when I first observed Moschino that he was limping and only occasionally weight bearing on his right front leg, and when he was sat he was holding the paw up.
“When the shouting and commotion started he became immediately submissive, his ears pinned back and he sat down holding his paw in the air. He would look at Mr Price but anytime he went near Moschino or looked at him, the dog would look down and away.
“Snowy, who had previously been wandering around the kitchen, became very submissive. Her ears went back, she backed right into the corner of the kitchen and sat pressed against the back door cowering.”
It was pointed out to Price that Moschino was limping and that it was suspected this had been caused by what the witnesses had reported. He denied this and said the dog had been limping for several days after falling down steps, but he had not sought any veterinary attention.
Price, now of Lower Warrengate in Wakefield , would not give his consent to have both dogs checked over by a vet, so they were seized by police and taken to be examined at an RSPCA hospital.
There, vets found that Moschino’s limp was due to a soft tissue injury and was nervous and fearful when examined.
A vet who gave a written statement in the case said based on the eye witness accounts given to the RSPCA, his opinion was that Price had inflicted physical abuse for a period ‘of at least several minutes, possibly longer’, and had failed to protect Moschino from injury, pain and suffering.
The court also heard evidence from a clinical animal behaviourist who said Price hadn’t provided the dogs with a safe and predictable environment in which they did not experience anxiety, fearfulness, panic, emotional and physical discomfort and helplessness.
She said: “This suffering could have reasonably been avoided or reduced had Moschino not been hit and the dogs not been put into fear by the behaviour that they were exposed to.
“It is clear that Moschino would have felt pain, fearfulness, helplessness and frustration, due to the positive punishment (shouting) and poor handling. He showed no retaliation, and at no point did his behaviour provoke the male to continue the abuse; there was no reason to cause the animal suffering, or for the suffering to continue for as long as it did as described.”
Price, who has filed an appeal against his conviction, was also given 20 RAR (rehabilitation activity requirement) days and told to carry out 300 hours of unpaid work within the next 12 months. He was also ordered to pay £366 in costs and a victim surcharge of £114.
The two dogs remain in the care of the RSPCA. A spokesperson said: “Moschino was initially hand shy but this has improved with positive reinforcement training and he has become a firm favourite with staff. Snowy also loves her food and likes lots of fuss and attention.”
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