Dog kicked to death in front of children
Oconomowoc, WI (US)

Incident Date: Saturday, Feb 28, 2009
County: Waukesha

Charges: Misdemeanor
Disposition: Alleged

Alleged: Michael Tessmer

A Waukesha County man faces a felony charge of mistreatment of an animal after he allegedly kicked his pet dog repeatedly in front of his children and the dog later died.

According to a criminal complaint filed Friday, 52-year-old Michael Tessmer of the town of Oconomowoc became angry when he returned home with the children last Saturday and found the 3-year-old Labrador retriever-poodle mix had urinated and defecated on the floor.

The complaint said authorities learned of the case after Tessmer's 11-year-old son drew a picture at school and wrote "My dad is a killer!" on it. School officials called Tessmer's estranged wife, who called police.

The boy told police his dad kicked the dog 5-10 times in the chest and the dog died that night. Tessmer has a court hearing scheduled Thursday.

References

• Chicago Tribune - March 6, 2009

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