Man convicted of getting dog drunk
A man who forced a dog to get drunk on cans of Stella Artois has become the first person to be convicted of the crime.
Bronx a five-year-old Bull Mastiff cross is said to have been "staggering around, looking confused and generally depressed," when RSPCA officers were called to rescue him.
A court heard how his owner Andrew Wilson, 31, from Bristol, gave Bronx a can of Stella before hitting him over the head in June last year. He was also accused of plying Bronx with vodka.
RSPCA officers say they found the dog had a dangerous amount of alcohol in his body and had Bronx been much smaller, may not have survived.
The drunk dog was taken straight to Bristol Dogs and Cats Home where he made a full recovery, though he felt 'woof' the next morning.
Wilson was the first person to be successfully charged under Section 7 of The Animal Welfare Act 2006 which covers the administration of poisons or injurious drugs to a protected animal.
Bristol Magistrates sentenced him to 150 hours of community service and banned from keeping warm blooded animals for one year.
A RSPCA spokesman said: "Giving alcohol to any animal is extremely dangerous and it took Bronx a long time to recover from the effects of the drink as well as the cut he received.
"He's recovered well from the ordeal, although still suffers from a bad skin condition that vets are currently trying to diagnose."
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