Puppy punched for soiling owner's shirt Vero Beach, FL (US) Incident Date: Friday, Feb 9, 2007 County: Indian River Local Map: available Disposition: Alleged Charges: Misdemeanor Alleged: Zachary L Humphries Case Updates: 1 update(s) available

Case ID: 10738 Classification: Beating Animal: dog (non pit-bull) View more cases in FL (US) Abuse was retaliation against animal's bad behavior Drugs or alcohol involved Login to Watch this Case

A local man was arrested February 9, 2007 on an animal cruelty charge after being accused of repeatedly punching his 5-pound puppy because the dog soiled his sweatshirt.

Zachary L. Humphries, 22, hit the 10-week-old pit-bull-hound mix puppy in the head about seven times in the parking lot of a 7-Eleven convenience store, in the 2000 block of U.S. 1, according to a Vero Beach Police Department report.

"It's just like somebody beating a kid," said Lt. Bruce Dangerfield, animal control officer for the police department. "We're not going to stand for that." According to the report, Humphries denied hitting the dog but admitted he does "flick the dog on its nose when it soils the floor."
In addition to the charge of animal cruelty, Humphries was arrested for possession of drug paraphernalia. Both are misdemeanor offenses.

The puppy, named "Red," was taken for treatment and observation to the Sebastian's Highlands Animal Hospital in Sebastian. The puppy had no visible evidence of abuse, but that doesn't mean the dog wasn't abused, Dangerfield said. "Dogs don't bruise easily like people do," he said. "She's a beautiful dog."

After observation, the puppy will be taken to Humane Society of Vero Beach and Indian River County, where it will stay until the trial, Dangerfield said. According to the report, police officers found the puppy crying and shivering in Humphries' unlocked vehicle with the windows rolled up in the Press Journal parking lot, where Humphries works as a newspaper courier.

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References

TC Palm Local News - February 10, 2007

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