How could he do it? Abattoir worker slit this puppy's throat because he couldn't afford vet's bill

A man who slit his puppy's throat and left her to bleed to death was jailed for five months yesterday and banned from keeping animals for life.

Robert Humphries, 40, did not want to pay a £70 bill to have the family pet put down by a vet and did the job himself in his garden.

Magistrates were told the former abattoir butcher used two kitchen knives to kill the six-month-old lurcher before dumping her in a wheelie bin.

Interviewed by RSPCA officers, he said that when the dog, named Shadow, crawled away whimpering and bleeding after he cut her throat, he stabbed her 'between the ribs' to 'finish her off'.

A vet said the dog would have taken between 10 and 30 minutes to die in 'extreme pain'.
The RSPCA discovered the horrific scene at Humphries's home in Taunton, Somerset, after being alerted by the vet's receptionist.     More Read