Suspended sentence for man who hurt pug puppy with thermal burns

A pug who suffered fractures to her leg and pelvis as well as burns to her face has been rehomed by a vet nurse who helped save her life.

Capri made a full recovery after suffering severe burns from boiling water to her face, mouth and tongue, and is now enjoying life in a loving new home.

A man was, this month, sentenced after admitting causing Capri unnecessary suffering and failing to protect her from pain or suffering. 

Thabiso Luzuko Giyo (DoB: 27/07/1994) of High Street, Chatham, Kent, appeared at Sevenoaks Magistrates’ Court on 1 May.

He pleaded guilty to two offences* under the Animal Welfare Act and was sentenced to 22 weeks in prison, suspended for two years. He was also ordered to pay £800 in costs and a £154 victim surcharge, and was disqualified from keeping any animals for three years.

Vets contacted the RSPCA on 14 December 2022 after the seven-month-old pug puppy was brought into their care with burns and injuries to her face, mouth and tongue. It came just a few weeks after she’d been brought in with swelling to her head.

In a witness statement, a vet who treated Capri said she was first brought in with a large swelling to the head believed to have been caused by a trauma. She added: “While in hospital with us she was really calm and relaxed around females but shrank away and trembled in the presence of a male vet. She was absolutely terrified of males in hospital to the point where only females could handle her without stressing her out.”

When Capri was brought in again in December, she was in “quite a state”, the vet said, adding: “Capri presented with massive burns over her face and neck. Her tongue was swollen to three times its size and sloughing. The substance she had been burned with also affected her left eye.”

RSPCA Inspector Kirsten Ormerod launched an investigation. In her court statement, she said: “Capri’s owner told me that on 12 December she left Capri in the care of her flatmate, called Thabiso Giyo, between approximately 2.30pm to 6.30pm while she went out shopping.

“She stated that on her return at 6.30pm Capri had a sore face. She stated Giyo had wiped Capri’s face with an exfoliating glove but quite quickly Capri’s face started to swell and she was struggling to breathe so she took Capri to the emergency vet.”

She told Inspector Ormerod that she’d reported the incident to police and had asked Giyo to leave the property but gave her a contact number for him. 

The vet’s witness statement added: “Nobody was willing to tell us what substance Capri had been burned with – the flatmate said he gave her a bath and used an exfoliating glove on her which didn’t add up to the severity of the injuries she presented with.

“While she was under anaesthetic for an endoscopy, she was also x-rayed. The x-rays showed a fracture of the right [leg]. The x-rays also showed healed pelvic fractures from older injuries.”

Vets fitted a feeding tube to help Capri and it was later suggested that the burns had been caused by boiling water. Vets treated her burns every six hours, applying creams and eyedrops, and cleaning the wounds.

Inspector Ormerod’s added, in her statement: “Capri had a cannula and feeding tube fitted. She had red, open wounds to her face, nose and around her mouth. Her tongue appeared very swollen and she was not able to close her mouth due to her swollen tongue. She was also audibly breathing loudly and appeared lame on her back right leg and was very reluctant to put weight on it.

“The vet advised me Capri was suffering due to suspected either chemical or thermal burns to her face, mouth and tongue and, as a result, had to be tube fed as she couldn’t feed independently.”

Vets and police arranged for Capri to be seized and she was moved to the RSPCA’s Finsbury Park Hospital. She was later signed over to the RSPCA. 

Two weeks after she was first admitted, Capri began eating on her own and her injuries started to improve. In January 2023, she had surgery for her leg fracture, which went well, and she was moved to an RSPCA rehoming centre to recover, carry out extensive physiotherapy and begin her search for a new home.

The vet’s statement added: “It is my professional opinion that the timeline of suffering has been over the period of about eight to 10 weeks before she presented for thermal burns. The fact that she had healed pelvic fractures which she never sought treatment for, leads to the timeline that the abuse has been continuing for at least eight weeks. The pelvic fracture would have been excruciatingly painful for a young puppy like Capri.”

The court heard that Giyo has said that Capri’s injuries had been an accident and denied that she had been intentionally or deliberately harmed.

Capri was adopted by one of the vet nurses who first treated her injuries and helped to save her life. She’s now loving her new life and is described as ‘now living her best life’.