Warning: This article contains graphic content and images that may disturb some people.
A Canterbury man has been sentenced to supervision after stabbing his friend's dog with a filleting knife.
On Friday, Raymond Kilgour was sentenced to 10 months supervision and140 hours of community work after he pleaded guilty to one count of ill-treating an animal under the Animal Welfare Act in the Christchurch District Court in May last year.
He has also been disqualified from owning dogs for the next five years.
On July 13 2017, Kilgour was drinking alcohol at his friend's house. The pair started joking about euthanising the friends Jack Russell, Skipper, due to his age and health.
At around 11:50pm that night, Skipper's owner heard him yelp and found Kilgour bent over him with a fillet knife lying in a pool of blood on the floor. Skipper had stab wounds to the right side of his neck and shoulder.
Kilgour left and Skipper was taken to an after-hours vet, who operated on Skipper after finding he had one single large linear wound from Skipper's neck down through his shoulder to his cranial ribs.
In a victim impact statement Skipper's owner said he still has clear images of the sight of Skipper with blood spurting from his neck.
When an SPCA inspector visited Skipper the day after the incident he was notably uncomfortable and shaking.
"This is a mindless act of violence against an innocent animal," SPCA CEO Andrea Midgen says.
"It is extremely lucky that Skipper did not die from this incident. And while he has physically recovered, the emotional trauma he has suffered will no doubt stay with him for a long time."
In explanation of his actions, Kilgour said his friend had asked him to euthanise Skipper.
He said he did not want to but after some persuasion, he attempted it by stabbing him.
Kilgour said he felt really bad afterwards.
Skipper's owner disputes this explanation saying at no point did he seriously request that Kilgour stab his dog.
Newshub.
