Baldivis man to face court on animal cruelty charges after shocking treatment of German Shepherd

A 38-year-old man has been charged with animal cruelty after an incident on May 3 in Baldivis involving a black German shepherd dog.

RSPCA WA will allege the man was seen by witnesses and captured on CCTV ill-treating the dog while putting him into the rear of a Ford Ranger utility.

The incident allegedly occurred about 2pm at the corner of Spinifex Road and Marlberry Lane in Baldivis.

The ill-treatment allegedly included the accused forcefully hitting the dog with a dog lead; forcefully swinging the dog and using the momentum to throw him into the tray of the vehicle; kicking and lifting his leg up and down in a stomping motion in the dog’s vicinity as the dog was pinned in a small space between two large toolboxes; and yelling obscenities at the dog.

The dog was seized by an RSPCA WA inspector during her investigation of the incident and remains in RSPCA WA’s care.

The accused man has been charged under sections 19(1) and 2(a) of the Animal Welfare Act 2002.

He is scheduled to appear in the Rockingham Magistrates Court on October 6.

The maximum penalty for a charge of animal cruelty is a $50,000 fine and five years in prison.