Jamie-Leigh Williams, 20, was today banned from owning any animal for the next five years after pleading guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to five-year-old Lennox by hitting and kicking him.
The RSPCA brought charges against the mum-of-one after disturbing footage of the incident at her home in Oldham last November appeared on social media.
It had been filmed by a man who Miss Williams had allowed to stay at her home for a few days.
Tameside Magistrates Court heard how Miss Williams and her former partner had taken in the dog several months earlier after being told it would be put down if no new owner was found.
It was claimed that during this time, the dog became increasingly aggressive, and several calls were made to police, dog homes and the RSPCA to try and rehome him.
Defending, Christopher Squibbs said that on the day of the incident Lennox had been 'snarling at her stomach'. He told the bench: 'The defendant clearly lost her temper towards the dog. It wasn't her finest hour, but she is remorseful.'
Mark Harper, prosecuting on behalf of the RSPCA, said that inspectors who had examined found Lennox to be alert and active, a friendly dog that had thankfully suffered no lasting injuries.
Magistrates also imposed a 12-month community order, £385 fine, and ordered Miss Williams to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work.
Speaking after the hearing she said: 'I shouldn't have done what I did. I hold my hands up and admit it was wrong, but at the time I was scared, and thought I was doing what anyone else in that situation would to protect themselves and their baby.
'What you don't hear in the video clip is that before that I had been screaming for the police to be called because the dog had been trying to go for me.
'Neighbors had heard him barking and growling and because they know what he's like they'd come round to check on me.
'As I shut the door, Lennox jumped up on my back, his paws were scratching my lower back and putting pressure onto my stomach, he was that heavy I was pushed against the door. I managed to get him off, and tried to get into the living room to my phone but he was in the doorway snarling.
'I was terrified. I started talking to him, like you would a baby, and it calmed him down enough to put the muzzle on him, but I hate the things so didn't put it on tight and he kept getting out of it.
'I went to put it back on and he snapped at me, I then started to get pains in my stomach and keeled over, I was shouting for help but I realise now the whole thing was just being filmed.
'I kicked Lennox, but what you don't see is that his mouth was around my foot and I was trying to get him off me, I then picked up the first thing I saw which was a sweet box and I hit him. I just snapped.'
Immediately after the incident, Miss Williams locked Lennox in a room and called her mum, who then got another family member to collect the dog.
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| Here, the dog manages to get away from her but she chases it down the hallway and continues to kick and beat the dog |
The court heard the following morning she went into early labour. Doctors managed to slow things down and she gave birth to a healthy baby girl a few weeks later.
Miss Williams says that as a result of the video being shared, she has lost her friends, and has been verbally abused in the street.
'I won't walk anywhere or use public transport, I'm scared to go out. I just want this all to be over. I know what I did was wrong and if I could take it back I would.'
(Daily Mail - Feb 8, 2017)
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