Maggot-riddled Gisborne dog bashed with a hammer and left for dead

Brownie the dog had to be put down not long after this photo was taken after her owner - James Tuari, 48 - bashed her three times on the head with a club hammer, leaving her for dead. Photo / Supplied

A Gisborne man bashed his dog in the head with a club hammer then left her to die in agony after being told to "get rid of it" by family.

It appeared to be the final, brutal assault on the young dog who had endured a life of torture at the hands of its owner, James Tuari.

Tuari, 48, was jailed for nine months and banned from owning dogs for 10 years when he appeared for sentencing in the Gisborne District Court yesterday on one charge of wilfully ill-treating an animal.

Brownie, who also had open wounds - riddled with maggots - from earlier attacks, had to be put down when she was discovered on Tuari's property on January 11, this year.

The SPCA found Brownie tied up in a small area by the side of the garage.

The ground was strewn with rubbish and rags, and a blue plastic container contained a small amount of stagnant green water. Blood was on the walls close to where Brownie was tied up.

Brownie was very thin and had two obvious wounds on the top of her head. Both wounds were full of maggots, indicating that they were not fresh.

The SPCA Inspector took the dog for an urgent veterinary examination, which revealed that Brownie had two, large holes about 50mm by 50mm in her head.

One of the holes opened into the cranial vault, the very thin piece of bone covering the back portion of the brain.

Both holes contained fly eggs and maggots, which were about 0.5cm to 1cm long, indicating the wounds were two or three days old.

Brownie was also severely emaciated and extremely dehydrated, and faecal testing revealed she had an extremely high parasite burden.

The veterinarian recommended euthanasia because her prognosis was "hopeless", and because her pain and distress was so great it was necessary to end her suffering.

The vet described it as "one of the most severe and disturbing cases she had seen" because the dog had been subjected to two forceful blows to the head, and then left without treatment for at least two days.

The defendant said that he had been told by his brother and a family member to "get rid of the dog".

So on January 9 he had hit her on the head three times with a club hammer and she had "gone down". The defendant's neighbours had heard what he was doing and leaned over the fence, at which point the dog had "come to".

Even though he knew she was still alive, the defendant left her to die by herself, Andrea Midgen, acting SPCA New Zealand CEO said.

"This is sickening cruelty involving extreme violence against a defenceless animal inflicted by someone with complete disregard for the suffering he has caused. It would have to be one of the most disturbing cases of animal cruelty we have seen in 2016," says

"Brownie's suffering was completely unnecessary. When you have the privilege of owning an animal, it is your responsibility to care for them for their whole life - not just when it suits you.

"If the defendant could no longer have her at his house, he should have tried to find Brownie a new home. He could have asked his local SPCA for help or advice. There were several steps he could have taken and the fact he jumped immediately to beating her to death is unfathomable."