Kurri Kurri man Nathan Thompson has been banned from owning pets for a decade after pleading guilty to killing nine puppies.
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The 25-year-old faced East Maitland Local Court on Friday after police arrested him over the brutal deaths of the dogs on Thursday night.
Thompson is accused of brutally killing nine puppies by hitting them in the head with a rock and dumping them in bushland at Kurri Kurri last week.
The only surviving puppy, aptly named Lucky, remains under veterinary care.
Police said the owner of the bull Arab-cross puppies, Tony Brown, first advertised the puppies for sale on the internet on March 5.
But when they had not been sold almost a week later, Mr Brown asked Thompson to “get rid of them”.
Mr Brown said he did not mean for Thompson to kill them.
Thompson loaded the puppies into his car about 4.30pm on March 11 and took them to bushland on McLeods Road, Kurri Kurri.
He began killing them with a rock, hitting them in the head and throwing them into the bush.
A witness, who was out walking his own two dogs, confronted Thompson who drove off with five of the puppies still alive.
RSPCA inspector Scott Meyers arrived to find five dead puppies in the scrub, and two hanging onto life.
They were taken to the Rutherford RSPCA veterinary clinic but one died on the way.
Thompson told police that he later destroyed four of the five remaining puppies while the fifth was rehomed.
Thompson pleaded guilty to aggravated animal cruelty, serious animal cruelty and resisting arrest during his first court appearance, which attracted national media attention.
Magistrate Caleb Franklin granted the Kurri Kurri man bail after prosecutors successfully requested that a pregnant dog, in the care of Thompson, be removed from his home immediately.
Animal welfare advocate Rachel Peach sat weeping at the back of the courtroom during part of the court proceedings.
She later told the media that the removal of the dog and a 10-year ban on animal ownership was a wonderful result, but she hoped for a strong conviction for Thompson.
RSPCA NSW Chief Inspector David O’Shannessy said the incident was one of the worst that his organisation had seen.
He said no further investigations would take place while the matter was before the courts.
The police prosecutor Sergeant Justin Watson asked for bail to be refused because of the man’s substantial criminal record and his resistance to arrest.
Mr Franklin granted Thompson bail because of his good record of court attendance.
Mr Franklin’s initial order has been that Thompson could not have an animal at his home, be alone with or in the presence of an animal unless accompanied by an adult for the next 10 years. He faces a maximum of five years in jail.
The matter was adjourned to April 28.
