Mister the terrier was beaten by his owner, who faced a charge in court. He has since been rehomed. Photo / SPCA
Mister the terrier was beaten by his owner, who faced a charge in court. He has since been rehomed. Photo / SPCA
WARNING: This story contains details that may be distressing
A woman who punched and threw her terrier against a wall, before tying the severely injured pet to an outdoor stair rail says she committed the attack after the dog relieved itself inside.
The brutality left the dog, named Mister, with a collapsed lung and multiple broken bones. The injuries were untreated for up to four weeks.
Trina Maxine Coombe was last week sentenced at the Porirua District Court to one month community detention after pleading guilty to reckless ill-treatment of an animal stemming from the attack in April last year.
According to the SPCA, who brought the charge, Mister was in immense pain when he was seen by a vet.
The pain was particularly profound in the dog’s ribs, abdomen and left shoulder, which made a “crunching noise” when moved. X-rays showed Mister had multiple fractured ribs, a collapsed lung and a fractured scapula - the result of blunt force trauma.
Coombe told the inspector that she had punished the dog after he got his paw caught in a rug, waking up the woman and her children. She found the dog had relieved itself inside, which the woman stepped in and “trampled through the house”.
The next day, she tried to punish the dog by putting him on a leash outside, but the dog tried to bite her.
“I just grabbed him by his collar, pulled him up, put it on and I just went boot, and then just threw him,” Coombe told the SPCA officer, also saying she didn’t intend to hurt the dog.
Mister has since fully recovered from his injuries, and is happy in his new home. Photo / SPCA
Mister spent weeks recovering at the SPCA’s Wellington centre, eventually making a full recovery. He has since been rehomed.
“It’s sickening to think of the fear, pain and distress this helpless family pet endured at the hands of the person who was meant to care for him,” SPCA chief executive Todd Westwood said.
“Mister did not deserve any of this, and I’m so grateful that SPCA was alerted to this abuse before it could continue.”
Coombe was also sentenced to six months’ supervision, ordered to repay reparations of $598.17 and banned from owning dogs for three years.
Ethan Griffiths covers crime and justice stories nationwide for Open Justice. He joined NZME in 2020, previously working as a regional reporter in Whanganui and South Taranaki.
