A man has been jailed for 21 months for a brutal knife attack on a Staffordshire bull terrier.
Veterinary staff said the five-year-old dog, Rocco, was close to death after the blood-soaked animal was rushed to their Montrose surgery in August.
Kevin Hutcheon had rained down a host of blows on the pet with a ten-inch kitchen knife.
One of the wounds came within millimetres of the animal’s jugular vein.
Last month a Forfar jury found the 27-year-old guilty of Animal Welfare Act and knife possession charges.
Hutcheon, who has a string of convictions for serious offences, claimed he had stabbed the dog out of necessity after its owner issued a ‘kill’ order.
At Forfar Sheriff Court on Thursday, Sheriff Kevin Veal praised staff of the Angus town’s Golf Veterinary Practice for the life-saving care they gave the dog.
