Beaten and swung by rope: Abused Tauranga puppy tops SPCA List of Shame

Cooper now lives with a family who love and cherish him. Photo / Supplied

A Tauranga puppy, who was beaten with a broom handle, crushed by his owner and swung by a rope, has topped the SPCA's annual List of Shame.

The abuse was caught on CCTV and showed a man hitting Cooper the puppy, crushing him with his body and swinging him by a rope for nine minutes in front of children.

He was beaten so hard the handle on the broom broke.

The list was released today ahead of the SPCA's Annual Appeal and revealed details of the 12 worst cases of abuse, abandonment and neglect seen by SPCA in the past 12 months.

Cases included a dog blinded from being thrown against a wall, an animal hoarder who kept 32 cats in squalid conditions, multiple home surgery jobs gone wrong and more.

Cooper's owner was charged with ill-treatment of his dog and disqualified from owning animals.

The inspector who rescued Cooper said her heart hurt when she saw the footage.

"It was such a brutal and prolonged beating, and there seemed to be no reason for it. We decided the best way to remove Cooper from that situation was with a search warrant issued by the courts. "

Cooper was surrendered to SPCA's Tauranga Centre and adopted by a new family.

The inspector said the new family "loved and cherished him".

SPCA's chief executive Andrea Midgen said the list revealed the sad truth that animal abuse was still a big problem in society.

"This year's list includes many instances of neglect and senseless violence, with owners failing to show the care and kindness their animals deserve."

More than 40,000 animals go through the SPCA's doors, most with sad tales of abuse, neglect and abandonment each year.

The SPCA was encouraging New Zealanders to get behind them during Annual Appeal
week from March 2 to 8, so they can continue the work they do.

"Every dollar makes a difference to the lives of thousands of animals who deserve a
second chance. Every New Zealander who offers their support is helping us in our fight for justice," she said.

Donate to the annual appeal on the SPCA website or look out for street collections from March 6 to 8.