Elderly, deaf dog kicked, punched repeatedly
Braintree, MA (US)Incident Date: Wednesday, Jul 4, 2007
County: Worcester
Charges: Felony CTA
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged: Kenneth G. Farmer
Kenneth G. Farmer, 34, of Braintree was arrested on the evening of July 5 after a neighbor notified police that he had seen Farmer punching his dog, Deputy Chief Russell Jenkins told the Forum.
Officer Corey Hutson and Sgt, David DelPapa spoke with the neighbor, who reported that the incident in question actually occurred on July 4 at 7:30 a.m., Jenkins said.
On that day, according to Jenkins, the man witnessed Farmer attempting to place his two dogs on a "runner."
One of the dogs is young, and the other is approximately 15 years old, blind, deaf, and arthritic.
"As Farmer was securing the younger dog to the runner, the older dog began to wander off," Jenkins said.
According to the neighbor's account, Farmer walked up to the older dog and kicked it, knocking it to the ground.
"While the dog was down, Farmer punched it repeatedly with closed fists and then picked the dog up off the ground by the skin on its sides and brought it back to the runner," Jenkins said.
The neighbor said that he was so upset by what he had seen that he yelled at Farmer, but Farmer only yelled back.
"When the officers spoke with Farmer, he admitted to striking the dog, but claimed that it was in response to the dog attempting to bite him," Jenkins said. "He elaborated that the dog would bite when approached too quickly, and he was attempting to reprimand him to curb this unwanted behavior."
Jenkins said that the officers were "unimpressed" with Farmer's explanation and placed him under arrest for cruelty to animals, a felony punishable by up to five years in state prison.
The animal control officer was summoned to the home to remove the elderly dog for safekeeping, Jenkins said.
Farmer pleaded not guilty at his July 6 arraignment hearing. References« MA State Animal Cruelty Map
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