A woman has been banned from owning animals for 15 years after brutally beating her partner’s Jack Russell to a “traumatic” death.
Kasie Armstrong left defenceless Barney with multiple broken bones, a lacerated liver and fatal internal bleeding.
The 22-year-old pleaded guilty to killing Barney at her partner’s home in Newcastle in October last year.
Armstrong’s partner discovered Barney’s lifeless body and contacted the RSPCA following a series of disturbing text messages exchanged between the pair.
The messages revealed Armstrong begging him not to go to police, while he replied saying that Barney’s blood was on her shoes.
An RSPCA Inspector was shown the body of Barney by a relative of Armstrong’s partner the next day.
They found Barney lying on a sofa in the living room, covered by a blanket.
He was bruised, swollen and had blood around his mouth.
The sofa, floor and radiator were splattered with blood, as reported Need to Know.
A vet confirmed that Barney had been beaten and left in “excruciating pain, immense trauma and significant fear”.
They said: “The dog had been subjected to blunt force trauma and or crush injuries resulting in broken bones and catastrophic internal bleeding.
“This could have been the result of a beating with or without an object kicking or stomping or a combination.
“The force required to cause this level of trauma would have been significant and repeated.
Barneys lifeless body. (Jam Press/RSPCA)
“This would have resulted in excruciating pain, significant fear and mental strain.
“It is my opinion, given the evidence on the dog’s body, that Barney suffered from immense trauma prior to death. This trauma was non-accidental and likely malicious.”
Armstrong claimed the dog had bitten her but when asked to show any injuries there were no wounds or scars visible.
An RSPCA spokesperson added: “This was an horrific attack on a defenceless dog in his own home and this kind of behaviour is never acceptable.
“It was a particularly harrowing case to deal with knowing how much Barney must have suffered during the beating that led to his death.”
Armstrong was given an 18 month suspended sentence and told to carry out 120 hours of unpaid work.
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