An axe-wielding dog owner told SPCA employees “I will waste you if you touch my dogs”, a court has heard.
Wayne Henry Tumataroa, 47, appeared in the Invercargill District Court this week after the public reported concerns for his dogs’ welfare. They said the four dogs were housed together in a small kennel.
In March, two SPCA staff checked on the dogs at a house in Gore, but Tumataroa was not there. They called the defendant to organise a meeting with him and he immediately voiced his frustration.
Soon after, the defendant arrived and yelled derogatory names at the victims.
He then put his dogs into his car and picked up an axe from the property, waving it at the staff while he continued to shout at them.