Owner 'utterly devastated' after dog shaken to death by partner in West Lothian

The owner of a dog who died from a brain haemorrhage after being “violently” shaken by her partner has said she is “utterly devastated”.

Kara Davies had returned home early from work after her then partner, Clynton Hagen, said something had happened to her chihuahua, Ollie.

The five-year-old dog had collapsed and was not breathing, so Kara rushed him to the vet, where he died despite resuscitation attempts.

A post-mortem examination showed Ollie had died from severe brain bleeding.

Ms Davies said Ollie “meant everything to her” and had recently supported her through a severe illness.

Ollie had supported his owner through a severe illness Scottish SPCA via Supplied

She said: “This has been an utterly devastating experience, and losing Ollie in such a violent and cruel way is a trauma I will carry with me for the rest of my life. Within an hour of my leaving for work, my whole world had shattered. Ollie meant everything to me and was such a deeply loved part of my family.

“While I am relieved there has finally been accountability, I believe serious cases of animal cruelty should result in much stronger and longer sentences and bans on owning and keeping animals.”

A Scottish SPCA Inspector attended Hagen’s residence in East Calder, West Lothian, after Ollie’s owner reported concerns that he had killed the dog.

Hagen pleaded guilty to an animal welfare charge related to him forcefully shaking Ollie, causing him to die from a brain haemorrhage.

He was sentenced at Livingston Sheriff Court on August 13 and was given a five-year ban on owning and keeping animals.

He was also ordered to carry out 265 hours of unpaid work.

Reacting to the sentencing, the Inspector said: “We welcome the Sheriff’s decision. Hagen’s violent actions caused immense suffering to Ollie and left his owner devastated.

“He should never be allowed to take care of an animal again and a ban will help ensure he never does at lease for the next five year. I would like to commend Kara Davies for her help and tenacity throughout this very traumatic investigation.

“However, there remains a risk that offenders could go on to reoffend or breach animal ownership bans without being detected.

“This is why we are calling for a National Animal Offenders Register: a centralised system that would help enforcement agencies identify people who are banned from keeping animals and prevent them from slipping through the gaps. Importantly, animal abuse is often a warning sign for human-related abuse, meaning a joined-up system will help frontline officers spot wider safeguarding risks.”