Police officers in Buckinghamshire rescued a dog after its owner was spotted 'throwing it on the ground and punching it to the head and face'.

PC Coates and PC Da Silva Melo from the Central Milton Keynes Neighbourhood Policing Team were called to The Centre in Milton Keynes on Monday, November 13, after employees spotted CCTV footage of a man assaulting his dog.

The 42-year-old man was seen lifting his Staffordshire Bull Terrier in the air by its collar, dragging it for approximately 10 metres and throwing it on the ground before punching it over 10 times to the head and face.

The officers reportedly found the footage "hard to watch" and PC Coates arrested the dog owner on suspicion of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal. 

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The 42-year-old was charged with the offence and pleaded guilty at the Milton Keynes Magistrates Court on Tuesday morning (November 14).

He has been released on bail while a pre-sentence report is prepared, with the condition that he cannot be in possession of any animal. He will next appear in court on December 12.

The assaulted dog was picked up by the police and became "a temporary addition to the office" while undergoing veterinary treatment.

It will now be cared for in kennels before a rehoming process begins.