Two days after she had given birth to puppies, a mother dog was allegedly killed by an angry teenager in Benton Harbor last week. The youth now faces charges for animal cruelty. Mark Antwan Douglas, 18, of Ogden Avenue in Benton Harbor was arrested on April 25 by Benton Harbor police, according to court records. He was arraigned and pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor animal cruelty charge that alleges he allowed an animal to suffer unnecessary neglect, torture or pain. The charge is punishable by up to 93 days in jail upon conviction or a $1,000 fine.
He posted the 10 percent of his $1,500 bond and was released from custody.
A pretrial conference in the case is scheduled for Friday.
According to a police report, the dog was owned by Reta South, who lives on Pavone Street in Benton Harbor. Douglas was going to adopt one of the puppies from South and had gone to check on his puppy. He discovered that the mother dog had eaten the puppy he had chosen.
The police report said Douglas allegedly got angry with the dog and kicked it. The dog then urinated on his foot so he kicked it two more times and the dog fell down the stairs, the report said.
Douglas allegedly told police that the dog hit a wall and went limp.
A necropsy report done on the German shepherd mix revealed the dog had suffered multiple skull fractures and three puncture wounds on the top of its head.
Animal Aid of Southwestern Michigan took custody of the black and black and brown puppies, which appear to be a shepherd/Labrador retriever mix. They are now in a foster home being bottle-fed by Mary Green of Eau Claire.
"They're doing great," Green said Wednesday, the puppies' one-week birthday. "They weigh over a pound each already." Neighborhood MapFor more information about the Interactive Animal Cruelty Maps, see the map notes.
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