In what has been called one of the most “harrowing and distressing” cases of animal cruelty in RSPCA history, a 22-year-old woman has been arrested and charged for strangling her dog to death.
Hayley Cowan, 22, from Manchester, UK, has been sentenced to a four month term for muzzling her dog with duct tape and then strangling it with a lead.
The dog, a female Staffordshire bull terrier named Beau, was found buried in a shallow grave in Cowan’s backyard.
An autopsy completed by a local RSPCA confirmed the grim details of her death, including evidence of strangulation and bruising on Beau’s legs, indicating that she was held down during the attack.
The RSPCA was alerted to the case when friends of Cowan began to wonder about the whereabouts of the dog. The same friends had previously removed Beau from Cowan’s care as she had been abusive towards her before, but returned her when Cowan promised to take care of her.
When the friends asked Cowan where Beau was, she told them the dog had run away during the night, but she later confessed to killing her three weeks later.
Inspector Vicki McDonald commented on the case, saying, “This was a very heartbreaking case to investigate and only made possible by witnesses coming forward. It was very traumatic and upsetting so I am very grateful to them.”
“I hope the sentence passed today will highlight the seriousness of the case and hopefully give Cowan the opportunity to reflect upon her actions against her defenceless dog Beau.”
Cowan pled guilty to two counts of causing an animal unnecessary suffering and was sentenced to four months jail time.
