Northampton man Marc Turnbull jailed for shooting dog
A man has been jailed for 20 weeks for shooting his dog six times, hitting it on the head with a spade and leaving it for dead in a ditch.
Marc Turnbull, 38, shot cross-breed Rocky with an air rifle in a layby on the A5 near Weedon on on 21 April, Northampton Magistrates' Court heard.
The dog was left with a large open wound down to the ridge of his skull.
Turnbull, of Dainty Grove, Northampton, admitted three charges of causing unnecessary suffering to Rocky.
He was banned from keeping any animal for 20 years when he appeared at court on Wednesday.
Rocky was found in a ditch by a member of the public three days after he was attacked, the RSPCA said.
He had severe head injuries and x-rays showed he had been shot five times in the head and once in the leg.
Turnbull, who was traced because Rocky had been microchipped, claimed inflicting the injuries was his only option after he failed to sell the dog online.
RSPCA inspector Michelle McNab said: "This was a truly unbelievable case that involved immense suffering to the dog.
"Fortunately Rocky was found and amazingly he survived.
"He has since been rehomed to a loving family."