Dog strangled
Bronx, NY (US)Incident Date: Tuesday, Feb 8, 2005
County: Bronx
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged: Louis Lawrence
A Bronx man allegedly strangled his pit bull puppy with his bare hands after the small dog pooped on his kitchen floor, police said. Louis Lawrence, 24, told investigators he got angry at the 4-month-old puppy on Feb. 8 after the pooch he named Cross "made a mess."
The enraged drugstore clerk grabbed the puppy's snout with his right hand and pulled the dog's neck back toward its tail with his left, investigators said.
"How could anyone be so rough on a dog that trusts you?" said neighbor Shaniqua Ramos. "It just make me sick to think of some creature struggling to breath, and looking up and seeing it's done by its master's hand."
The 25-pound pup could barely breathe when Lawrence carried it into the ASPCA's Manhattan hospital the next day.
The dog was transferred to the Animal Medical Center and put on a respirator, but it died three days later.
An animal autopsy found the dog had been strangled and its neck hyperextended, authorities said.
"Animals are fragile and people have to be careful," said ASPCA Special Agent Joseph Pentangelo. "Losing your temper around them can have severe consequences for them - and you."
Lawrence was arrested yesterday and charged with animal cruelty. He faces up to a year behind bars if convicted.
Pentangelo said there was no evidence the dog was being trained to fight. References« NY State Animal Cruelty Map
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