Targeting prized poodle ‘despicable’

A man kicked his mother’s prized poodle so hard it was left with a dislocated leg and ruptured liver.

Paul Hugh Capon’s behaviour was labelled as ‘‘cruel and despicable’’ by Judge Lynne Harrison when he was sentenced for his mistreatment of the miniature poodle called Barney.

Detective Sergeant Dave MacKenzie said on October 5 Capon was at the Lemon St property in New Plymouth he shares with his 80-year-old mother. Capon is her primary caregiver.

Between 7pm-10pm, Capon’s mother was out while the defendant stayed home, MacKenzie said. During this time, the 54-year-old was drinking alcohol.

Sometime during the three-hour period Capon kicked the dog an unknown number of times.

MacKenzie said when Capon’s mother arrived home, she noticed the dog was injured. When she went to tend to it, the poodle bit her.

She then took the dog to the emergency vet, where it stayed for five days of treatment.

The eight-year-old canine was found to have a dislocated left, rear leg and a damaged liver which had been bleeding internally.

When spoken to by police, Capon

"What you did I find cruel and despicable." Judge Lynne Harrison

had been ‘‘extremely drunk’’ and was only able to tell officers he had kicked the dog, MacKenzie said.

At Thursday’s hearing in the New Plymouth District Court, the defendant pleaded guilty to a charge of cruelty or ill-treatment of an animal.

Lawyer Turitea Bolstad said the dog had been adopted and Capon believed it had behavioural issues and was ‘‘quite territorial’’.

Bolstad said Capon accepted the offending should never have happened and he had already arranged to start paying for the $720 vet bill.

Judge Harrison was blunt in her assessment of Capon’s offending.

‘‘What you did I find cruel and despicable,’’ she said.

Judge Harrison said given the dog belonged to Capon’s mother and she had adored the animal, she described his actions, in the context of his role as a caregiver, as psychological abuse.

After getting credit for his guilty plea, Capon was ordered to do 100 hours of community work.