A man whose partner filmed him repeatedly beating his dog before reporting the attacks to police has been jailed.
Konrad Kocjan was sentenced to 18 weeks in prison after Luton Magistrates' Court saw harrowing footage of him abusing the family pet.
The RSPCA condemned the atack on the 'defenceless' dog
In the footage, filmed by the mother of his five-year-old son, Kocjan could be seen whipping the dog over and over again with a chain and a stick.
Another clip showed the 30-year-old smashing his female tan and white Staffordshire bull terrier cross's head against a wall.
Sentencing Kocjan, who had previously admitted five offences of causing unnecessary cruelty to the dog, District Judge Kenneth Sheraton described the attacks as "gratuitous" and "purposeful".
He said: "I have to say that I am no enthusiastic lover of animals and, from time to time, I see cases of ill treatment come before the court.
"This is, in my view, one of the worst I have seen."
The court heard that an expert who examined the footage found the attacks would have caused "physical and mental distress and suffering", but that the dog was left with no long-term wounds.
Kocjan, of Hereford Road, Bedford, bought the animal 18 months ago.
His partner, who was in court on Friday, gave police the footage she had filmed on a mobile device in August, following a previous allegation of domestic violence.
The court heard that after splitting up, the couple were currently in the process of trying to reconcile.
Parminder Matharu, for the defence, said his client accepted the attacks had been "irresponsible and wrong".
The dog had caused injuries to Kocjan's son, Mr Matharu said, but the court heard there was no medical report to substantiate that claim.
District Judge Sheraton told Kocjan that, depending on his behaviour, he would be released from prison halfway through his sentence. He was also disqualified from keeping animals in future.
RSPCA inspector Tony Hollis, who dealt with the case, said it was the worst violence against a dog he had seen in 17 years on the job.
Speaking outside court, he said: "The dog was defenceless, it showed no account to attack him, and it is just not acceptable."