Woman who stabbed pet dog admonished

Woman who stabbed pet dog
admonished

May 28 2010
A WOMAN who stabbed her own pet dog for barking was admonished at
Stirling Sheriff Court on Wednesday.

Anne Campbell (54) plunged the knife into her dog Shep during an
incident at her home in Hawthorn Drive, Fallin, on September 9 last
year.

At a previous appearance, the court heard how an argument had broken out
in the house on the day in question and that Campbell’s two dogs, a
black Labrador and a black cross-breed collie, were in the kitchen at
the time.

The collie began to bark and after Campbell first shouted at the dog in
an attempt to get it to calm down she thereafter grabbed a knife and
stabbed the defenceless pet.

The court heard that police were called and found Campbell, who later
admitted the offence, crying and hugging the dog hysterically.

The dog was taken to a vet’s in Stirling for treatment where it was
found to have two wounds.

At this earlier court appearance, her lawyer Frazer McCready said that
Campbell had simply “snapped” after the collie had started barking.

Mr McCready said: “It was a very, very stressful time and it’s in that
context that this took place. She is very remorseful.”

The incident was also described as being “out of character” for
Campbell.

Campbell’s pets – the two dogs and a cat – were at first taken from her,
but later returned as she was given the opportunity to show that the
incident was “a one-off and uncharacteristic episode”.

A subsequent court appearance in March led to another sentence deferral
as Campbell had at that point only recently had her pets returned by the
SSPCA.

There were also said to have been costs incurred by the animal charity
for looking after the pets that it wanted Campbell to pay for.

This week, the court heard that Campbell had commenced payment towards
the outstanding balance due for the care of her pets, understood to
amount to more than £3000.

On hearing from the Crown that Campbell had been of good behaviour since
the incident itself, Sheriff Andrew Cubie then admonished her.

After the sentence was passed, Scottish SPCA Inspector Louise Seddon
said: “We are very disappointed that Campbell was admonished and escaped
a ban on keeping animals, which was fully deserving in a case of this
severity.

“Campbell stabbed her dog Shep twice, therefore we are very concerned
for all of the animals that remain in her care.”

http://www.stirlingobserver.co.uk/stirling-news/local-news-stirling/news-stirling/2010/05/28/woman-who-stabbed-pet-dog-admonished-51226-26536293/

Poor dog, she stabbed it twice