A Rhondda Cynon Taf man has been disqualified from keeping all animals for life after he admitted to causing unnecessary suffering to a dog he kicked and hit.
Christopher Michael Pillage and Julie Pillage, both of Perthcelyn, Mountain Ash, appeared at Merthyr Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday 22 October and pleaded guilty to offences under the Animal Welfare Act.
Christopher Michael Pillage pleaded guilty to four offences, in that he caused unnecessary suffering to a male Jack Russell terrier type dog known as Snoopy by kicking and hitting him.
His third and fourth offences were joint offences with Julie Pillage in that they caused unnecessary suffering to Snoopy (by one or a combination) by failing to provide veterinary treatment for dental disease and by failing to provide veterinary treatment for a skin condition.
The final offence was that they failed to provide a suitable diet for a female Jack Russell terrier type dog known as Ruby.
At Merthyr Tydfil Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday 10 December both Christopher Michael Pillage and Julie Pillage were disqualified from keeping all animals for life.
Mr Pillage was sentenced to 12 weeks custody which was suspended for 12 months and was handed a Rehabilitation Activity Requirement of 15 days. He was ordered to pay costs of £400 and a victim surcharge of £154.
Julie Pillage was ordered to pay a £300 fine, victim surcharge of £100 and costs of £400.
In the sentencing remarks it was said that they were both aware of the brutality and neglect. In mitigation it was heard that Mr Pillage is a carer for Mrs Pillage who has health needs.
The court heard that the RSPCA obtained footage where Mr Pillage was seen kicking Snoopy on one occasion and on another occasion hitting him.
This led to the two dogs being seized by the police. They were a 15-year-old, white, male dog called Snoopy, who was deaf and partially blind and had a skin condition, and an 11-year-old, white and tan female dog called Ruby who was very overweight.
In a written statement from a vet, provided to the court, it was stated that it was on 20 June 2025 when he was presented with two videos to assess by RSPCA Inspector Gemma Cooper.
He said: “A male comes out of the house and without saying anything swings his leg towards where the dog is with force and a thudding sound is heard.
“The dog suddenly appears in mid air moving sideways, lands and falls onto its side, then gets up and runs into the house barking.
“In the second video the same dog – as was involved in the first incident – was again out in the garden sniffing around quietly.
“The same male comes out of the house walks over to the dog without saying anything, leans down and swings his arm with force contacting the rump of the dog with again a thudding noise heard, propelling the dog sideways staggering and almost falling over. The dog bark in reaction and moves away as the male walks off back into the house.
“The two blows to the dog in the separate clips were both with force and would have caused unnecessary suffering due to the immediate pain of the blow as well as likely the pain of bruising developing later.”
The two dogs were then brought to the vet on 9 July for an examination by the RSPCA and were later signed over into the charity’s care.
Snoopy on examination was fully blind in his left eye due to a mature cataract with some inflammation, his teeth were in a “very bad state” and he also had a moderate level heart murmur on the right side of his chest. He had some fur loss and reddened skin on his leg and in the armpits and groin, which the vet said was most likely due to an untreated allergic skin issue.
He was started immediately on pain relief and antibiotics to lessen the issues with his teeth and steroid antiinflammatories to start to settle the skin and the inflammation associated with the cataract in his left eye.
The vet said Ruby was severely overweight with a body condition score of eight out of nine, (with four and five out of nine being normal) but other than this she had no significant health issues.
Sadly it was later found that Snoopy had cancer and had to be euthanised but Ruby has been happily rehomed.
Following sentencing, RSPCA Inspector Gemma Cooper said: “All animals deserve to be treated with kindness and respect.
“Unfortunately Snoopy was found to have cancer, however, Ruby – who is now of an appropriate weight – has been rehomed with a loving owner and is now living her best life.”
