He then picked up the dog and put it at her feet, before threatening to get a choker chain to take the dog home and shoot the animal.

Newman’s antics in the front yard of the woman’s West Albury home on June 2, just after 4pm, weren’t yet over, Albury Local Court has heard.

He walked off, but returned soon after to find his ex-partner still in the front yard with the dog, a black and white female Staffordshire bull terrier-cross.

“The accused was seen to again pin the dog to the ground with his left hand and remove a knife from his pocket with his right hand,” police said. A witness feared he was about to stab the dog, so walked over and told Newman: “Don’t you f … ing dare.”

“This made the accused stop, put the knife back in his pocket and walk away,” police said.

The 37-year-old, who has been in custody since his arrest on June 7, pleaded guilty to commit an act of cruelty upon an animal, contravene an apprehended violence order and carrying a cutting weapon upon apprehension.

For that he was put on a 12-month intensive corrections order.

The court heard Newman committed the crimes while mentally unwell, having gone off his medication for schizophrenia.

The West Albury man had not long completed a five-month probation period for a seven-month jail term.

That sentence was for domestic violence-related offences while armed, involving his former partner. They had been in a relationship for seven years.

As a result of the offence over which he was jailed, his ex-partner took out an apprehended violence order against Newman.

He was seen yelling at her in her front yard just before the dog was attacked.

When spoken to by police two days later, Newman claimed to know nothing about the dog incident.

Police arrested him at a West Albury bus stop, where he admitted he was carrying a folding knife with a seven-centimetre blade that he claimed he “was actually just going to return”.