A security camera Ms Seaman installed in the central Wagga home caught Menz pressing down on Tess’s stomach, squeezing her throat firmly and then lying on her head and chest while continuing to squeeze her throat and pushing her head into the bed.

Menz was sentenced to three months in jail and five months parole last week for committing an act of aggravated cruelty upon an animal. But Ms Seaman and her friendly Staffy cross Tess will likely remember Menz’s cruelty long after he walks free.

After she broke up with her boyfriend, Ms Seaman started looking for new places to live. Menz had posted an ad on a website and in February, Ms Seaman and Tess moved in. Within weeks, though, the once-loving and trusting Tess began to cower in Menz’s presence.

“She adored everyone but she was scared of him,” Ms Seaman said. “I’d only ever caught him being strict with her and thought maybe she wasn’t used to being talked to like that.”

Suspicions began to mount after Ms Seaman found strange scabs on Tess and another housemate said Menz had been playing roughly with her.

“I asked him not to play with Tess anymore,” Ms Seaman said. “He was odd but friendly enough and I thought maybe he didn’t understand.”

One day, Ms Seaman found Tess acting strangely.

“She wouldn’t move, wouldn’t eat, wouldn’t wag her tail,” she said. 

“I tried to move her and she started screaming – I’ve never heard a dog make that noise before in my life – and I just instantly burst into tears.”

The vet found Tess had lameness consistent with elbow displacement. Soon after, Ms Seaman found one of Tess’s dew claws, similar to a thumbnail, had been ripped out.

“I bandaged it up and it was healing quite well but I came home one day and the bandage was soaked in blood and sticky-taped up,” Ms Seaman said. “But when I’d left her three hours earlier it had been fine.”

Worried for Tess’s safety and suspecting Menz had been abusing her, Ms Seaman began locking the dog in her bedroom and bought a security camera, which led to the horrifying vision she would later find.

“If I had it set up earlier maybe he would have got a bigger sentence,” Ms Seaman said. “I don’t even want to know what else he might have done to her.”

Looking back, Ms Seaman admits she should have trusted her gut instinct.

“I didn’t think anyone would willingly hurt an innocent dog,” Ms Seaman said. “But I know now there are some sick people out there.”