Dog beaten to death against pavement
Reno, NV (US)

Incident Date: Sunday, May 3, 2009
County: Washoe

Disposition: Alleged

Alleged: Daniel Thomas Wells

A 44-year-old Reno man remained jailed Monday, accused of breaking through a neighbor's fence and fatally bludgeoning a barking Chihuahua puppy.

Reno police said a witness saw Daniel Thomas Wells slamming the 6-month-old pup against the pavement while shouting "shut up" and yelling obscenities at about 10:50 p.m. Sunday at the Peckham Gardens condominium complex on Neil Road.

Wells was held in lieu of $3,325 bail at the Washoe County Jail on suspicion of animal cruelty, trespassing and destruction of property.

The dog's owners were not home during the incident and could not be reached Monday for comment.

Police said the witness called them after Wells walked away from his neighbor's fenced-in patio. Officers said Wells, who lives across the courtyard, denied involvement but had blood on his clothing and abrasions on a knee. Officers said the witness saw him remove several wooden slats to enter the patio where the dog was kept and killed the dog.

Lillian Dantzler lives next door to the owners and said she spoke with the woman who saw the killing and reported it to police. Dantzler, a dog owner, said she was heartbroken that a neighbor "hopped a fence and killed a member of someone's family."

"There are other ways to complain about a barking dog, like knocking on the owner's door, but to violate someone's pet is very upsetting," she said.

Now, Dantzler feels insecure about the safety of other pets in the complex.

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