A man punched his dog several times before launching a racist tirade at a shocked woman, threatening to kill her as she tried to protect the terrified animal.
John Brannan shouted: “I’m going to blooter you. I’m going to kill that dog,” as he chased the pet through Baxter Park.
A woman who tried to save the dog was then subjected to abuse from Brannan, who told her she was a “foreigner” who “came here to claim all the benefits”.
At Dundee Sheriff Court on Wednesday, Sheriff George Way ruled that he would not deal with Brannan immediately as any order banning him from keeping dogs would effectively mean the 17-year-old animal would have to be put down.
Instead he deferred sentence for three months to allow Brannan to be of good behaviour.
Brannan, 51, of Morgan Street, Dundee, had previously admitted that on June 26 he caused his dog unnecessary suffering by repeatedly punching it and acting in a racially aggravated manner towards Agate Kuzmina.
Brannan had owned the dog, called Jock, for 17 years and “not withstanding the facts of this case”, he said his primary concern is actually for the dog, which is still in his care.
Brannan had faced being banned from keeping dogs but Sheriff Way decided not to impose such an order because he feared it would mean the elderly pet would be destroyed.
Deferring sentence, the sheriff told the court: “It’s the fate of Jock that concerns me because it would seem likely to me that, given his overall physical condition, taking Jock away from Mr Brannan is likely to result in him having to be put to sleep.
“I’m also considering the fact that Mr Brannan, having reached the age of 51, comes before the court as a first offender.
“But he has to look at how he got himself into the state he did. I’m going to take the course of deferring sentence for three months for Mr Brannan to be of good behaviour.
“I will further defer consideration of the animal welfare orders sought by the Crown until that date.”