‘My chihuahua is not a ragdoll’ - Stevenage owner hits out at dog swinger’s sentence

Oliver, the 10-month-old chihuahua, didn't sustain any injuries in the incident but his owner believes the punishment does not fit the crime (Image: Archant)

The Stevenage woman, who asked to remain anonymous, has spoken to the Comet after Alfie Loft, from Hatfield, admitted causing unnecessary harm to an animal when he repeatedly swung her 10-month-old chihuahua called Oliver around his head by its neck.

Loft, 19, was banned from keeping animals for two years, fined £395 and given a 12-week curfew at Hatfield Magistrates’ Court on Monday.

But the dog owner believes that Loft has not been sufficiently punished for his crimes.

She said: “I can’t believe that’s all he has got for doing such a cruel thing to a defenceless animal. He said in court he can’t remember the whole thing because he was drunk, but just because you’re drunk doesn’t excuse a thing like that.

“Oliver isn’t a toy, you can’t just throw him around like a rag doll. I think his punishment is disgracefully lenient and he has got off very lightly. How would he like it if someone threw him around by his neck? Not very much I think.”

The 44-year-old owns another dog, a 10-year-old patterdale terrier named Piggy, and only recently adopted Oliver.

She said her pets help her cope with depression and liver problems.

The woman added: “I didn’t know that anything was wrong, although Oliver did seem a bit shaken when he came back.

“The first thing I knew about it was when someone showed me the video on Facebook. I was appalled and came straight home and called the police.

“I just can’t understand how someone can do something like this. It’s disgusting. My dogs are all I’ve got and I don’t know what I’d do without them.

“They help me cope with life and I can’t understand why anyone would do something like this.”