Robert Carolan, a Duncan resident, has been sentenced to four months in jail after serving blunt force trauma to his 16-week-old puppy.

According to the necropsy results conducted by the B.C. SPCA, the mixed-breed puppy Dux suffered from a trauma-induced condition that prevented the animal’s lungs from fully inflating.

Carolan originally claimed the puppy accidentally drowned after he placed him in a bathtub and left him unattended.

He was unable to provide an explanation for the dogs bleeding and significant injuries including three healed fractures on the dog’s ribs.

“I think jail time is absolutely warranted in a case this heinous,” said Marcie Moriarty, chief prevention and enforcement officer for the B.C. SPCA. “It is heart-breaking to think of how much this poor puppy suffered and the terror he would have experienced before succumbing to his injuries.”

Carolan will be unable to own an animal for 10 years and has also received a victim surcharge fine of $100 with an additional three-year period of probation.