Queensland teenager punished by the RSPCA for kicking her dog and filming it

A TEENAGER has been punished by the RSPCA after she filmed herself repeatedly kicking her boyfriend’s dog despite it wincing in pain. WARNING: GRAPHIC

WARNING: Graphic content.

A QUEENSLAND teenager has pleaded guilty to animal cruelty today after footage of her repeatedly kicking a dog went viral.

Claire Elizabeth West, 17, filmed herself kicking the puppy, believed to be named Buster, 26 times and chasing it around the Rockhampton house while it yelped in pain.

“Your dog’s dead Rylee ... How do you like that Rylee?” she said on camera.

Claire West with the puppy she filmed herself kicking.

The man West is referring to in the video is believed to be one of her ex-boyfriends, who now lives in Tasmania.

On social media on Monday, the ex-boyfriend wrote that West received a “slap on the wrist” and still had custody of the animal.

“My boy is in danger,” he wrote.

Members of the public have also been posting hundreds of violent threats against the 17-year-old girl on Facebook following her court case.

A petition was started online on Monday labelling the actions of West “despicable” and calling for Buster to be homed elsewhere.

Buster is currently in the Rockhampton pound but was due to be released by the teenager’s mother today.

Numerous Facebook posts claim Buster has since been dropped off at her ex-boyfriend’s former house. West keeping the dog would violate the probation order she was given by the judge.

“Unfortunately I cannot make an order that you not access or maintain social media accounts — I would make that order if that order could be made,” Magistrate Jeff Clarke said.

West put the footage of her kicking Buster on her Snapchat account on Saturday night, which was quickly saved by some of her friends and uploaded to Facebook.

It didn’t take long for the footage to go viral after it was uploaded to numerous public community group pages including the Rockhampton and Gracemere Crime Watch Facebooks and the Public Announcements Facebook page.

Queensland Police and the RSPCA was notified and commenced a joint investigation into the incident, arresting and charging the 17-year-old yesterday afternoon.

Appearing in Rockhampton Magistrates Court today, West was banned from buying a dog for two years and given a two-year probation order. No conviction was recorded.

As part of the probation order, West must undergo counselling and anger management courses.

West’s punishment comes less than a week after another video of a Queenslander hurting a dog went viral.

Gold Coast woman Tara Lee Barry was out for an afternoon walk when she spotted a man kicking and choking his excited dog at the Palm Beach Parklands.

She recorded the man on her phone and uploaded the footage to Facebook which quickly went viral eventually amassing more than 3.5 million views.

The 32-year-old man was charged by the RSPCA and will plead guilty to allegedly mistreating his blue staffy Rocky. He will face Southport Magistrates Court next month.

Rocky was also seized by RSPCA investigators and throughly checked by the animal organisation.