Pet Dog Bites Owner's Abusive Partner To Save Her From Being Assaulted

A woman in Scotland was saved by her pet from being beaten up by her abusive partner following a drunken argument.

The assault, which occurred in March 2020, began following a drunken argument, Aberdeen Sheriff Court was told this week. On the day of the incident, Liam Gove, who was intoxicated, had punched his partner and knocked out her front teeth, 7News reported. Before attacking the woman, Gove from Aberdeen had beaten up the Staffordshire bull terrier too.

When Gove attacked his girlfriend, the dog came to her aid and bit him, which resulted in the man being admitted to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary. Gove then spent two days in the hospital to get his wounds cleaned and stitched up.

The police were informed about the incident, and Gove was taken into custody. He entered a guilty plea to aggravated domestic assault and causing a dog unnecessary suffering by repeatedly striking it on the body, Metro UK reported.

Sheriff Williams Summer called Gove's behavior on the day of the attack "despicable" and "deplorable."

“You started by beating a defenceless animal and went on to carry out a vicious and unprovoked attack on your partner,” Summer said. “It’s quite clear, even at the relatively young age of 24, you have become a serial domestic abuser,” 7News reported.

After the hearing, the court gave Gove two years’ supervision, ordered him to complete the Caledonian program -- an evaluation to address the domestic abuse -- and gave him 300 hours of unpaid work.

Gove and his girlfriend, who are still together, are looking for a new home for the dog, as the court has also banned him from having dogs for five years.

In another horrific incident of abuse on a dog, a Texas man was taken into custody for strangling his pet to death. William Rose of San Antonio was charged with cruelty to non-livestock animals. A necropsy conducted on the dog revealed that the dog died of asphyxia from strangulation. However, Rose initially told authorities it died of depression. The incident came to light after one of Rose's neighbors saw him carrying the dog and placing it in a makeshift shrine.

In the U.S., abuse to non-livestock animals is a third-degree felony charge.