Dog killed, head bashed in with axe Sedona, AZ (US) Incident Date: Tuesday, Feb 29, 2000 County: Yavapai Local Map: available Disposition: Alleged Alleged: Robert Bradshaw,, Jr

Case ID: 3332 Classification: Beating Animal: dog (non pit-bull) View more cases in AZ (US) Login to Watch this Case

Bob Bradshaw Jr. figured he was doing Spike a favor in March when he picked up an ax and, with its blunt side, bashed the sickly dog's head five times.

After all, Bradshaw said, his 8-month-old German shepherd mix had come down with parvo and had been ''staggering around, leaning up against me.'' ''And when I moved, he'd fall (down),'' he added. Bradshaw didn't figure his mercy killing would earn him so much public outrage - much less criminal charges that could result in the almost unheard of possibility of prison time.

But the Coconino County Attorney's Office has been deluged with nearly 2,000 letters and e-mails from around the world, most demanding that Bradshaw go to prison for Spike's death. And the law is on their side in one respect: A statute that went into effect last summer stiffens the penalities of certain cases of animal abuse.

Buddhist residents of this red-rock city said a special prayer, and cleansing ceremony will be forthcoming from the Dalai Lama. Paul McCartney has been contacted about doing a benefit concert for "Friends of Spike."

Meanwhile, the 58-year old Bradhsaw, who owns a Sedona taxi company, said he has gotten the vibe from locals that he's the "most hated man since Josef Mengele."

If I go into any restaurant in uptown Sedona," he said, "they won't even serve me."

Dave Rozema, the county's chief deputy attorney, said Bradshaw has been charged under a felony cruelty to animals statute, which carries a possible three year prison sentence. Bradshaw has a 1996 felony conviction of possession and sale of marijuana.

Rozema also said that his office "will take a very aggressive position" in the case and will take the case to trial, rather than seeking a plea deal.

Bradshaw is scheduled to go to trial July 25 before Superior Court Judge Robert Van Wyck.

According to Sedona police reports, the dog had been chained to a cable connected to two trees and didn't have necessary shelter for protection from the elements. The report also said that debris was scattered through the area and that feces had not been removed for a month or more. The report said that the dog did not have adequate water and had only a small dish that held 6 to 8 ounces of liquid.

A veterinarian who examined the dog's body said that the animal had multiple skull fractures and a broken jaw. Bradshaw's bludgeoning of the dog was witnessed by neighbors, who called Sedona Police.

Bradshaw said he had taken Spike to a veterinarian in November for treatment of Parvo, a highly contagious viral infection that strikes suddenly and can cause vomiting, diarrhea, fever and sudden death.

But another veterinarian told Sedona police that if the dog had been treated and had recovered, "There was a 99 percent chance that the dog would not contract the disease again."

Bradshaw stands by his story that he did all he could medically to try and save Spike and that "I couldn't watch that dog suffer anymore."

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References

The Arizona Republic - May 14, 2000

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