Dog strangled to death Port St Lucie, FL (US) Incident Date: Wednesday, Dec 8, 2004 County: Saint Lucie Local Map: available Disposition: Not Charged Person of Interest: Robin Bush

Case ID: 3347 Classification: Choking / Strangulation / Suffocation Animal: dog (non pit-bull) View more cases in FL (US) Login to Watch this Case

A woman who strangled a neighbor's Rottweiler on Wednesday evening after it attacked her Yorkie in her back yard is under investigation on a possible charge of animal cruelty in the dog's death, police said.

Robin Bush said she grabbed the large, unleashed dog firmly by its collar because she feared for her life. She said the dog had escaped from its yard, run into hers and attacked her 8-pound Yorkshire terrier.

But the owner of the 130-pounder Rottweiler named Rox told police her dog was not being aggressive toward Bush and that Rox went after the Yorkie because she wanted to play with the little dog, which she described as being "about the size of one of Rox's chew toys."

"My neighbor came running out of her house throwing things at Rox," Rebecca Hartley said. "I had my dog by the collar, and she grabbed it. She twisted the collar until the dog suffocated, and I had my hand on the dog the whole time trying to calm her down and tell the woman to stop."

Hartley also told police her neighbor threw a beer bottle at her dog and strangled it while bashing its head against a wall.

Bush said she was defensive because she recently learned she was pregnant and her two young children were just feet away.

"I'm so sick to my stomach over all of this," she said Thursday, crying. "I didn't know I was choking the dog � I was just holding it by its collar and trying to keep it away from me, and I was yelling for someone to call 911."

Both women said Rox stopped breathing after a couple of minutes, and Bush tried to perform CPR on the dog but was unsuccessful. The Yorkie, named Tandy, was in a local animal hospital Thursday, being treated for a dozen deep scratches, Bush said.

Police reached the home at 2902 S.W. Ventura St. � just south of Gatlin Boulevard and a few blocks west of of Port St. Lucie Boulevard � minutes after the 5:30 p.m. struggle and continue to investigate the statements from both women and other witnesses.

The State Attorney's Office is expected to decide whether to charge Bush.

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References

	Palm Beach Post
	WSVN Miami - Dec 10, 2004
	Newsday

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