A British man has been banned from keeping animals for five years after footage filmed of him was sent to the RSPCA anonymously.
The video shows Paul Anthony Archer, 50, shouting at his English Bull Terrier, Denver, in the back of his car and telling the dog to go “die” and poking him with a hammer, before slamming the car trunk.
In court, RSPCA inspector Gemma Fowler said: “Watching the footage, it’s clear that Denver is frightened of the way his owner is behaving towards him.”
Below is a clips of the footage that the RSPCA received. A word of caution, its contents may be disturbing to some viewers.
“We all get angry sometimes, but Mr Archer’s behaviour towards Denver is totally unacceptable,” Fowler added.
Archer admitted in court to failing to meet the needs of his dog, but explained that the dog had jumped in the car while he was cleaning it and broke the screen of an iPad. In the end, the judge fined Archer around $1,000, banned him from owning animals for five years and received a 12-month community order with rehabilitation for his unresolved aggressive manner.
As for Denver, he is now in the care of the RSPCA and will be put up for adoption.
“Denver is a smashing dog with a great personality and happily he will now be able to go to the kind of home he deserves,” said Fowler afterwards. “I’d like to say thank you to the person who filmed and sent this footage to us, without which we wouldn’t have had a case. They have changed this dog’s life.”
I’m glad the person who witnessed Denver’s abuse took action! Share this story if you agree that they deserve thanks!
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