A Fife man whose neglect of a puppy led to its death has been banned from owning animals for a decade.
Sean Burns, 27, left the critically ill nine-month-old German Shepherd with his neighbours while he socialised in Edinburgh on September 9.
Despite receiving phone calls telling him about the pup’s failing health, Burns instructed his neighbours not to seek veterinary treatment.
The dog, called Lexi, died in the early hours of September 10.
When he appeared at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court to be sentenced, he also faced a further charge of behaving in a threatening manner.
Sheriff James Williamson told Burns he had displayed “arrogance and a bullying nature”.
He said: “You have a bad attitude and that attitude brings you back to court.”
The sheriff imposed a community payback order with a requirement of 180 hours of unpaid work.
He also disqualified Burns from keeping animals for the next 10 years.
“If you breach these orders, prepare yourself to go into custody,” said the sheriff.
Burns, who is now staying in Cardenden, admitted causing unnecessary suffering and failing to seek adequate veterinary treatment for Lexi, who was left unable to stand and suffering from internal bleeding.
The labourer had taken the dog to a vet who prescribed painkillers and a lengthy course of antibiotics to treat a painful cut on August 22, 2017.
He failed to take her for follow up treatment due to financial issues and the infection took hold in the weeks leading up to her death.
Burns also pled guilty to a charge of pushing a teenager on the body, and swearing and making threats of violence, in Strathore Road, Thornton, on July 11.
The court heard the incident involved a group of 17-year-old boys.
Depute fiscal Rebecca Clark told the court that Burns was heard telling a witness “shut up or I’ll smash your face in.”
The accused later got back in his vehicle “making mention of running witnesses over as he did so”.
Defence solicitor Laura Apostolova said her client “does accept that there were other ways of dealing with the situation.”
Burns was told to return to court on January 28 to be sentenced for his latest offence.
He was already subject to a community payback order requiring him to perform 200 hours of unpaid work, after being caught with a can of pepper spray in 2017.
Burns told the sheriff he had yet to complete 63 hours of the existing order.
