A 3-month-old puppy was seized by Animal Services on March 1 after neighbors reported that the puppy was thrown to the ground and kicked several times.
The puppy's alleged abuser, 23-year-old Ian Anderson Henry, is behind bars, but the puppy is dealing with lingering medical problems.
The Shepherd-mix puppy named Smoky suffered a broken leg and other injuries, but he's getting a lot of tender loving care to nurse him back to health.
Sheriff's Deputy Clayton Miller went to 3387 Fiskway Street, Spring Hill, to investigate the case after hearing about Smoky's injuries, according to his report.
Animal Services Offices Terri Blake met the deputy there and explained that the puppy had been found in distress underneath the front porch steps of the trailer.
They spoke with two witnesses, Hilda Patterson and Mike Laskey, who both reportedly saw Henry attack the dog.
Patterson said that on Feb 28, the puppy had been in Henry's front yard barking all day. Then, at one point, Patterson heard Smoky yelping loudly. When she looked outside she saw Henry throw the puppy to the ground. A scared Smoky then crawled and hid under a parked car, the report states.
Laskey told authorities that while sitting on the front porch of his girlfriend's home, which is just a couple houses down from Henry, he saw Henry kick the puppy several times. He said he thought this happened on Wednesday, but authorities suspect it was really Tuesday.
Henry's girlfriend, April Patterson, said her boyfriend gave her the puppy last month for her birthday.
She acknowledged that on Tuesday she and Henry had been arguing and he went outside to calm down. That's when he allegedly hurt Smoky.
Patterson said she didn't know her puppy was injured. She said she had called for him to come inside that night, but he wouldn't come out from under the front steps.
Henry gave a statement and insisted that while he tried to kick the puppy, he missed and never made contact. He did admit to throwing the puppy.
Henry told investigators he took out his anger on Smoky rather than hitting his girlfriend.
He was arrested on a charge of animal cruelty and booked into the Hernando County Jail, where his bond was set at $500.
Animal Services Director Liana Teague said Smoky was at a local veterinary hospital Friday with a splint on his leg Friday, but his condition was improving.
"The puppy's doing real well today," she said.
Teague said the vet discovered that Smoky had not been well cared for even before Henry lost his temper.
"He had a lot of parasites and an ear infection," she said.
Animal Services will be asking Patterson to sign over the puppy, but if she doesn't Teague will take the fight to a judge.
"If she does not willingly relinquish custody, then we will see custody through the court," she said.
The court would also decide who's responsible for Smoky's medical bills.
Once Animal Services wins custody, Teague said they'll start looking for a suitable home for Smoky.
Anyone interested in adopting the puppy can come to Animal Services and fill out an application. Teague said it could take up to a month before Smoky is able to go home with a new family. Neighborhood MapFor more information about the Interactive Animal Cruelty Maps, see the map notes.
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