| Case ID: 955 |
| Classification: Kicking/Stomping, Choking / Strangulation / Suffocation, Beating |
| Animal: dog (non pit-bull) |
| More cases in Saint Lucie County, FL |
| More cases in FL |
| Abuse was retaliation against animal's bad behavior |
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Friday, Feb 21, 2003
County: Saint LucieDisposition: Alleged
Alleged: Tracy Thomas Culley
A 41-year-old man allegedly fatally kicked and choked his golden Labrador puppy while his 6-year-old son begged him to stop, police said.
Tracy Thomas Culley, an independent construction contractor, was arrested March 6, 2003 on charges of cruelty to animals and child abuse, according to a Fort Pierce police report.
Culley grew angry after he got home from work Feb. 21 and learned the dog chewed a small hole in the garden hose, the report said. He took the dog's kennel into the backyard and attempted to lure it from hiding, the report said. After finding the puppy, Culley allegedly kicked it and began striking it with the hose.
"He then took the garden hose, doubled it, and placed it into the dog's mouth and began choking the dog with the hose," according to the report.
Culley's son apparently pleaded with his father to stop, but he dropped the dog and kicked it again, according to the report.
The dog attempted to get up but couldn't. It died a short time later. Police came when Culley's wife called 911.
Fort Pierce Detective Fred Pate said investigators waited to make an arrest until a necropsy was completed. "The signs point to some type of hemorrhaging," he said.
Culley was released from the St. Lucie County Jail on Thursday on $5,000 bond.
References
« FL State Animal Cruelty Map
« More cases in Saint Lucie County, FL
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