Man gets indefinite animal ban over puppy's abuse

A puppy that was attacked by her owner and left with such serious injuries she had to be put down would have been in "unfathomable pain", a court has heard.

Kyle Dorling, 27, from Harrogate, admitted inflicting "blunt force trauma" on American bulldog Ivy on numerous occasions between December 2022 and March 2023, leaving her with three broken legs and a broken jaw.

Dorling, now of Harewood Road, also admitted failing to take six-month-old Ivy for veterinary care for the injuries she had received.

At a sentencing hearing at Sheffield Crown Court, Dorling was given an 18-month custodial sentence, suspended for two years, and disqualified from keeping animals for an indefinite period.

At the hearing earlier this month, Recorder David Gordon described the case as a "prolonged and serious infliction of cruelty", adding that Ivy had suffered a "high level of pain and suffering".

The court heard a member of the public had spotted the puppy - who Dorling was believed to have deliberately abandoned - in the grounds of a block of flats in the Norton Lees area of Sheffield in March 2023.

They had noticed how skinny the dog was and that she was unable to walk properly.

The court also heard how there was scarring on the puppy's mouth, which looked like it had been tied shut, and the pads on her feet were bloody and raw.

Ivy was taken to the local authority's dog warden service where she was cared for and seen by a vet.

Because of the suspicious nature of her injuries, she was then collected by the RSPCA and an investigation by the animal welfare charity was launched.

In her written evidence, the vet who examined Ivy on behalf of the RSPCA said the puppy had been underweight and unable to walk normally.

X-rays revealed past fractures of Ivy's jaw, both front legs, left back leg and cheekbone.

The court was told there was no history of Ivy having been involved in any accident that could have accounted for her injuries and Dorling was circumstantially implicated in having physically abused her.

Given how the fractures had healed, the vet said Ivy's prognosis had been "grave" and "irreparable".

In her evidence to the court, the vet said: "As veterinary surgeons, we are sadly accustomed to seeing fractures and trauma on a regular basis.

"However, what is so utterly devastating in this case is that Ivy had been left with multiple fractures across their body for weeks with very minimal, if any, treatment."

"The pain Ivy would have been in with one, let alone five, fractures is unfathomable", the vet added.

Dorling, who will not be able to contest his ban for 10 years, was also given a three-month electronic curfew between 20:00 and 08:00.

He was told he would be expected to carry out up to 20 Rehabilitation Activity Requirement Days and was ordered to pay £400 in costs and a victim surcharge of £154.

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