Woman throws dog off the top of a Westfield car park in Perth

The moment a pet owner threw her dog off the top of a Westfield, Australia multi-story garage has been revealed in shocking CCTV.

The woman is seen wandering back and forth from her partner’s car to the edge of the car park – before launching her terrified Maltese shih-tzu, Princess, off the side.

Princess was later put down after suffering horrific injuries, with a passerby assuming she’d been hit by a car.

Her owner, a 26-year-old woman, later admitted to the crime on Facebook and has since been jailed for 12 months.

The distressing incident, which occured in April last year, was captured on CCTV at Westfield Whitford City shopping centre, north of Perth.

The woman has also banned from owning an animal for 10 years.

Her 23-year-old partner from Madeley, who was present during the incident, was fined $2500 and banned from owning animals for three years for failing to seek vet care for Princess.

Terrifying incident

CCTV footage showed the woman appeared to argue with her partner, repeatedly dangling her ten-year-old Princess over the side of the garage, and allowing her to walk along the roof edge for a period of around eight minutes.

The footage shows her eventually throwing Princess over the roof edge.

The tiny dog fell nine meters after being thrown and was found by a member of the public.

Princess was rushed to a nearby vet and was found to be in a state of shock with severe injuries, including possible internal hemorrhaging, brain injury, and spinal and pelvic trauma.

The vet checked Princess’s microchip and contacted the woman, who was listed as her owner.

The woman attended the vet with her partner to discuss the extent of the dog’s injuries and the cost of treatment, ultimately deciding on euthanasia.

Lack of remorse

In sentencing, Magistrate Mark Millington said the woman had left Princess for dead in what he described as a “planned, deliberate and intentional act”.

He said she displayed a lack of remorse and consistently attempted to shift the blame and make excuses for her behavior.

The woman even confessed to the cruel act on Facebook, saying she couldn’t “live with the guilt”, but later deleted the post and told police her account had been hacked.

Dogs can be so ‘trusting’

RSPCA WA Inspector Manager Kylie Green described the incident as the “most distressing” she had seen in her 11 years on the job, labelling it “callous and extremely confronting display of animal cruelty.”

“Dogs can be so trusting, and they rely on their owners to keep them safe. I can’t think of a more disgusting betrayal of that trust,” she said.

“Today’s outcome delivers some justice for the pain and terror poor Princess endured in her final hours.

“I hope it also sends a clear message to the community that intentional cruelty towards animals is extremely serious and won’t be tolerated.”