Woman who stabbed and killed 'stupid' Macedonian sheepdog she adopted avoids jail by blaming PTSD

A woman stabbed her 'stupid' pet dog to death after claiming it triggered her Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.Victoria Lodge said she could not cope with Celine, a Macedonian sheepdog she adopted after it had been rescued.After three months of owning the large dog Lodge posted on social media that she hated it, wanted her gone and called her 'demon spawn'.The 33-year-old contacted a charity helpline threatening to harm herself or the dog, which resulted in a visit by paramedics. Lodge told the emergency workers that she suffered from PTSD and bipolar disorder which had been triggered by Celine's behaviour and a paramedic offered to contact the RSPCA on her behalf.But when he called her with an update the next day Lodge was 'hysterical and screaming' and told him she had stabbed her dog.Lodge, from Bournemouth, Dorset, then went back on social media to declare the dog was dead and called a rehoming shelter that had arranged to take the animal to tell them it wasn't needed.She pleaded guilty to a charge of animal cruelty but was spared prison by a judge at Bournemouth Crown Court.She was instead disqualified from keeping any animal indefinitely. Victoria Lodge failed to seek any help for Celine, who had been stabbed in the abdomen with a carving knife, after the attack A Macedonian sheepdog, similar to the one stabbed by Victoria LodgeJudge Jonathan Fuller said Lodge's adoption of Celine was 'ill-advised' given her mental health issues.Afterwards Elisa Allen, of the animal charity People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta), said: 'Stabbing any living being is an appalling act of cruelty, and a lifetime ban on keeping or otherwise associating with animals is essential, but it cannot be the only response to such a horrific act of violence.'Jade Philippou, prosecuting, told the court on Friday that Lodge adopted Celine in January 2024.But after three months she had had enough of the animal and stabbed her on April 15.The court heard paramedics attended her address along with the police and found her living room 'destroyed' with a trail of blood leading to the stricken dog whose eyes were open and she was still breathing.She said that Lodge failed to seek any help for Celine, who had been stabbed in the abdomen with a carving knife, after the attack.She said: 'The paramedics scooped up Celine and took her to the ambulance and packed the wound with hemostatic gauze to which she noticeably groaned.'They asked the defendant if she wished to join them in the ambulance to take the dog to the pet hospital. She said 'get the f*** out of my house.''Despite the best efforts, Celine died.'The prosecution say it was a deliberate disregard for welfare.'She was at the scene for some hours before she died, in severe distress, and if it wasn't for the paramedic calling her... appropriate attempts were not made to seek assistance for the dog.'[Lodge] spent time cleaning some of the blood from the property while the dog lay suffering.'Laura Deuxberry, defending, said Lodge's social media posts were 'clearly a cry for help' and raised Lodge's mental health difficulties.A psychiatric report said there was no sign of dissociation or psychosis when Lodge stabbed Celine but she was likely struggling with 'emotional regulation and impulsivity'.Ms Deuxberry said Lodge was more stable now and had a support network to move forwards.She had also signed her two cats over to the RSPCA and did not dispute a ban on keeping animals.In sentencing Lodge Judge Jonathan Fuller said: 'In any other circumstances, without the explanation of your mental state at the time, this would be regarded as very cruel, even egregious case of cruelty.'What you did was get a large carving knife and pushed the knife right through the dog's body, perforating a lung.'Vets later examined and saw bruising caused by the force of it coming out the other side of the body.'What you must realise is there is always a choice, even for someone like you, in whether you commit a crime or back off and try to see another way through it.'He said that the public interest would be best served by Lodge being made subject to a two-year community order with probation supervision.Macedonian sheepdogs are a large breed of muscular working dog, bred to protect flocks of sheep from bears and wolves in the mountains.Although they are generally affectionate and fiercely loyal to their owners, they are not considered good pets for inexperienced or first-time owners as they are intelligent and independent and can be hard to train.