A man who battered a dog to death with a metal pole has been jailed for 27 months and sentenced to a lifetime ban from owning or keeping animals. Dean McKay, 38, brutally attacked a female German Shepherd named Goldie after chasing the dog's owner, Kyle Pugh, into a Premier store in the Calder Park area of Edinburgh in May 2024.

McKay kicked the dog to the body before killing her by smashing her over the head with the metal pole which broke the dog's neck, the Edinburgh Sheriff Court heard last month.

McKay was with Daniel Devlin, 39, who also confronted Mr Pugh while armed with a knife and a claw hammer. The pair fled the scene after the attack. An armed response team quickly arrived and sealed off the surrounding area.

Devlin was arrested shortly afterwards while McKay handed himself in to police several days later, The Edinburgh Evening News reports.

Both men pleaded guilty to behaving in a threatening or abusive manner when they appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court. McKay also pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to an animal.

Prosecutors said Mr Pugh had been at the supermarket with his two dogs, Goldie and another German Shepherd named Buddy. McKay was seen “shouting, swearing and making threats” towards the man while Devlin aggressively confronted him while “carrying a plastic knife and claw hammer."

The court heard Mr Pugh took refuge inside the store and “both accused left for a short time before returning."

The prosecutor said: “When the accused McKay returned, he was in possession of a metal pole and kicked the dog Goldie before swinging the metal pole down, striking the dog Goldie to the head, causing her death.”

The court also heard that shop staff triggered a panic alarm to alert police and the pair fled the scene.

As reported by the Edinburgh Evening News, veterinary examination found "no puncture wound to the body although there was instability to the neck vertebrae suggesting the blunt force trauma during the incident resulted in a broken neck."

During police questioning, McKay claimed he acted after Mr Pugh allegedly encouraged the dog to attack him, admitting he struck the animal with the pole.

Defence solicitor Addison Baker told the court her client was remorseful and insisted the incident had not been planned, adding that McKay had not intended to kill the dog.

However, Sheriff Alison Stirling described the offences as "extremely serious", noting the attack took place in a public setting. She sentenced McKay to 27 months in prison and imposed a lifetime ban on owning or keeping animals, stating the order was necessary to protect animals in the future.

A non-appearance warrant has been issued for Devlin after he failed to appear for sentencing.