KYLE DORLING/VALENTINE – HARROGATEKyle Dorling, aka Kyle Valentine, 27, curren…

❌KYLE DORLING/VALENTINE – HARROGATE❌

Kyle Dorling, aka Kyle Valentine, 27, currently of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, but with links to Norton Lees in Sheffield, and Bexhill, East Sussex – subjected a puppy to a series of brutal attacks over a four-month period, leaving her battered and bleeding.

American bulldog Ivy, just six months old, suffered three broken legs and a fractured jaw and cheekbone after her owner, Dorling, inflicted blunt force trauma on her on numerous occasions between December 2022 and March 2023. He then abandoned her and left the area.

Aside from multiple broken bones, there was scarring on the puppy’s mouth, which looked like it had been tied shut, and the pads on her feet were bloody and raw.

She was also very skinny and unable to walk properly.

Due to the extent of her injuries and poor prognosis, vets made the difficult decision to put Ivy to sleep.

Recorder David Gordon described the case as a ‘prolonged and serious infliction of cruelty,’ and said the puppy had suffered a ‘high level of pain and suffering’ during her short life.

The court heard that a member of the public had spotted the puppy alone in the grounds of a block of flats at Woodland Road in the Norton Lees area of Sheffield on March 25, 2023.

Ivy was taken by the finder to the local authority’s dog warden service where she was cared for and seen by a vet.

The dog was then collected by the RSPCA, who launched an investigation.

Dorling was identified as Ivy’s owner by her microchip.

RSPCA Inspector Jennie Ronksley was told that he had offered the dog to someone else, but they’d said no, and he had then apparently dumped her on the landing and left the property.

Dorling was traced to East Sussex by the RSPCA.

In a phone call with Inspector Ronksley he said that Ivy had gone missing and that he had reported this on a lost and found site. He said he used to crate her while he was at work and that she had a ‘bad leg’ from when she tried to escape.

He was later interviewed in East Sussex and initially denied having ever intentionally harmed Ivy, saying he wasn’t aware she had broken bones and thought they were minor injuries.

The court was told that Dorling had taken Ivy to a vet on January 25, 2023, because she was not bearing weight on her right back leg.

As he was eligible for subsidised treatment, he was told to book radiographs for her at the PDSA but failed to attend the appointment.

Over three weeks later he took Ivy in with similar symptoms, although she now also had swelling on her bottom jaw.

Dorling was told to bring in a urine sample for her as soon as possible, but vets never saw him again.

In her written evidence, the vet who examined Ivy on behalf of the RSPCA said she was underweight and unable to walk normally. There was a marked angular limb deformity on her right front leg and she was completely non-weight bearing on her right back leg. She also had abrasions on multiple pads on all four feet, which were indicative of suspected trauma.

X-rays revealed historic fractures of Ivy’s jaw, both front legs, left back leg and cheekbone. The court was told there was no history of her having been involved in any accident that could have accounted for her injuries and that Dorling was circumstantially implicated in having physically abused her.

Given how the fractures had healed, the vet said Ivy’s prognosis was ‘grave’ and ‘irreparable’. Her right back leg would need to be completely amputated and the changes to her right front leg were so severe that she would never be able to have good enough mobility – if any – especially for a growing, large breed dog. Sadly the decision was made to put her to sleep to prevent further suffering.

In her evidence to the court the vet said: “As veterinary surgeons we are sadly accustomed to seeing fractures and trauma on a regular basis.

“However, what is so utterly devastating in this case is that Ivy had been left with multiple fractures across their body for weeks with very minimal, if any, treatment.

“The pain that Ivy would have been in with one, let alone five, fractures is unfathomable.

“What is also concerning is the markings over the muzzle that indicate forceful restraint with a linear object so tight there had been chronic changes in the skin and fur. The owner claimed this was due to her rubbing her nose on the bars of her crate which is not at all plausible or possible.”

Dorling subsequently admitted causing Ivy’s injuries when he pleaded guilty to two counts of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal and one count of failure to take such steps as were reasonable in all the circumstances to ensure the needs of an animal for which he was responsible.

In mitigation, the court was told Dorling had experienced “a difficult upbringing” and had “poor mental health” which had impacted on his thinking and behaviour and made it difficult for him to control his temper.

18-month custodial sentence, suspended for two years; three-month curfew; up to 20 days of ‘rehabilitation’; ordered to pay £400 costs and £154 victim surcharge. Disqualified from keeping animals indefinitely but may contest this after 10 years.