Dog severely beaten with stick
West Palm Beach, FL (US)

Incident Date: Monday, Nov 15, 2010
County: Palm Beach

Charges: Misdemeanor
Disposition: Alleged

Alleged: Andrew Schecter

A suburban West Palm Beach man has been charged with animal cruelty after authorities say he repeatedly beat a neighbor's dog with a stick on Monday evening.

Andrew Schecter, 60, was arrested and booked into the Palm Beach County Jail on Monday and released Tuesday on $3,000 bond, jail records indicate.

The injured dog, a 6-year-old Jack Russell terrier named Holley, was brought in by its owner Monday evening to the Baker Veterinary Clinic in suburban West Palm Beach, said Susan Baker, the clinic's medical director.

Baker said the dog needed emergency care when it arrived at the clinic and described Holley's condition Tuesday afternoon as "touch and go."

"By the time they brought her in to me, she was completely comatose," she said. "She was not responsive."

According to a probable cause affidavit, Schecter was walking his dog in the 1900 block of Allison Drive on Monday night when it became involved in a fight with a neighbor's dog. Schecter told investigators that his dog was attacked and that he struck the other dog with a stick. The dog was struck several times with what was thought to be a wooden chair leg, the affidavit stated.

But a witness told investigators that Schecter's dog was on top of the other dog. The witness said that she observed Schecter hit the other dog at least five times on the head with a stick.

X-rays showed the dog has a skull fracture, Baker said.

The dog's owner is unable to afford Holley's medical care and has surrendered custody to Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control, Baker said.

Baker said the animal repeatedly suffered seizures throughout the night and currently remains under the clinic's supervision.

"She has made improvements, but things could go either way for Holley," she said.

Baker said that Holley needs to see a veterinary neurologist and the dog's medical costs will likely exceed $2,000.

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