Puppy strangler faces prison

A MAN who was found guilty of strangling a puppy to death has been told that he faces a prison sentence for animal cruelty.

Twenty one year-old Christopher Vallejo, from Ely, Cardiff, had been given two Staffordshire Bull Terrier-cross puppies in September 2006.

Appearing before Cardiff magistrates, he denied killing the female and denied the puppy was even in the house.

Vallejo, who accused witnesses of lying, denied a charge of causing unnecessary suffering. He will be sentenced later this month.

A friend, Amy Stereo, told the court she had been asked by Vallejo to look at the dogs, who were foaming at the mouth, on 21 September 2006. When she told him they were ill, Vallejo took them outside and twisted the female's neck before hitting it against a wall, rather than seek veterinary treatment, the court heard.

Aled Watkins, prosecuting for the RSPCA, said Miss Stereo's boyfriend, Liam Blow, then flung the puppy over a garden wall into an area where rubbish was kept. Its body was never found. Mr Watkins said it was a ‘barbaric act’.

Vallejo will be sentenced on 26 November.