Yokine man cops suspended prison sentence for hitting his Chihuahua puppy in the head with a paving mallet

A man who struck his puppy in the head with a paving mallet has been banned from owning an animal ever again in a case which has been labelled “abhorrent” by the RSPCA. WARNING: SOME READERS MAY FIND THIS STORY DISTRESSING. The 62-year-old Yokine man hit his Chihuahua puppy - Whiskey - in the head with a paving mallet, fracturing the dog’s skull. Whiskey died soon after. On Tuesday the man received a suspended prison sentence and was banned from ever owning an animal again. The eight-month prison sentence was suspended for 15 months with programme and supervision requirements. On Tuesday the RSPCA released further details about the shocking case. In June 2022, the man took Whiskey to a vet who noted the dog had sustained several skull fractures including fractures to his eye socket, his cheek bone and at the base of his ear canal which had ruptured his ear drum. The puppy had also suffered bleeding into the lungs. The man denied any knowledge of how the injuries occurred. “Whiskey was given pain killers and other medication. The following morning, the offender, against veterinary advice, collected the puppy from the vet clinic and took him home. At 4pm the same day, a friend of the offender insisted on taking Whiskey to a vet however the puppy died on the way,” the RSPCA said in a statement on Tuesday. Whiskey’s body was surrendered to the RSPCA, which prompted a team of inspectors to execute a warrant at the man’s home. A blood-stained paving mallet was seized, which was later found to contain traces of non-human blood. In sentencing the man Magistrate Donna Webb said it was “unfathomable” the man took Whiskey out of vet care against medical advice. The court found he was cruel to an animal in that he maliciously beat the puppy. RSPCA WA inspector manager Kylie Green described the case as sickening. “The attack itself is abhorrent, but in ignoring vet advice the offender continued to show complete disregard for his puppy’s suffering,” she said. “Whiskey’s life was tragically cut short but I’m glad we were able to get some justice for him today.”