Mt Maunganui man who threw dog against wall because it 'prevented him from relaxing' sentenced

A Mount Maunganui man has been prosecuted by the SPCA after he threw a dog against a wall, blinding it in one eye because the dog "prevented him from relaxing".

Alexander McGregor was sentenced this morning in the Tauranga District Court and has been disqualified from owning or exercising authority over domestic pets for five years.

In November 2018, McGregor was at home with his girlfriend caring for the dog, named Rafa, a male Maltese cross-breed who belonged to the girlfriend's mother.

But when McGregor became annoyed at Rafa, he picked the dog up and carried him down the hallway to a bedroom, before throwing Rafa in a rugby pass motion forcibly into the room.

Rafa hit an internal wall and sustained a serious injury to his eye.

When the defendant's girlfriend became aware of the injury, she and the defendant took Rafa to an after-hours veterinary clinic. The veterinarian found that Rafa's left eye was prolapsed, he had swelling of the inner eyelids, and bleeding was apparent in the white of the eye.

The injury was extremely painful for Rafa, and he cried out on manipulation of his neck and face. It was confirmed that he had permanent loss of sight in his left eye.

When spoken to by an SPCA inspector, the defendant admitted his actions and explained he had become "annoyed" with Rafa. He said that the dog was not well-trained and was "preventing him from relaxing".

"In one moment, Rafa was blinded in one eye by the very person who was meant to be caring for him. The pain he suffered was extreme, as his eye increased in pressure," says Andrea Midgen, SPCA CEO.

"There is absolutely no excuse for violence against animals, and the life-long consequences for this dog were completely avoidable, unnecessary, and cruel."

He was ordered to pay a $2000 fine to SPCA, reparations of $824.70 to the dog's owner, and court costs of $130.