Toy poodle beaten with shovel, man claims defense Douglasville, GA (US) Incident Date: Friday, Mar 9, 2001 County: Douglas Local Map: available Disposition: Alleged Alleged: Richard Allen Bledsoe

Case ID: 9219 Classification: Beating Animal: dog (non pit-bull) View more cases in GA (US) Abuse was retaliation against animal's bad behavior Login to Watch this Case

A man who had bludgeoned his mother's toy poodle to death on March 9, 2001 is now claiming it was in self-defense.

41-year-old Richard Allen Bledsoe who lives in the 3800 block of North Shelby Lane was still in police custody as of last night. He will be charged with cruelty to animals, which is now a felony in the state of Georgia. Bledsoe has claimed that "Trouble" the dog had bitten him, and he was forced to defend himself by beating the animal with a shovel. Captain Eddie Morris of the Douglas County Sheriff's Office said that Bledsoe did indeed have a bite mark on his pinky.

Neighbors (including several young children) were horrified at seeing Bledsoe corner the dog and hit it repeatedly, tossing it around between blows. Said one neighbor who tried to stop the beating, "It was just like seeing an innocent baby up against a brick wall."

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References

Dogs in the News - March 13, 2001

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