A dog owner dragged his French Bulldog along the roads for 13 miles after not realising it was attached to his trailer.
James Price had not checked the trailer before setting off from his home in Sherdley Road, St Helens , in the early hours of July 17.
The following morning the RSPCA were alerted by a member of the public who discovered the female dog's mangled body on Brasenose Road, Bootle .
He pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal at Sefton Magistrates' Court , on the basis he "ought to have known the animal was not entangled in a vehicle."
Initially inspectors referred to the incident as a "barbaric act of cruelty," but the court heard 36-year-old Price had "never intended" to harm the dog, named Pepper.
The court heard Pepper belonged to his young daughter, and had been in a kennel at the back of the driveway.
Price, who drives a low-loader for a living, had set off for work at around 5am and did not realise the dog's lead had become entangled in the trailer.
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CCTV footage obtained by the RSPCA showed the lead snapping on Brasenose Road, but still Price did not realise what had happened and carried on his journey.
Inspectors eventually tracked him down via the microchip in the dog's body.
Daniel Kenyon, representing Price, told the court the loss of a family pet had been "punishment enough."
Presiding magistrate Frank Dainty, passing sentence, said: "I do not believe you intended to harm the animal, but in future you need to check every corner of your vehicle before you set off."
