Man strikes girlfriend’s dog, kills it

A dog lost its life after its caretaker hit it on the head Tuesday, July 26.

Bloomington police officers were called by Monroe county animal control officers to a veterinary clinic on Morningside Drive after the veterinarian reported a dog who had been hit had died.

Animal control personnel told the BPD officer that a man had taken a dog that he had hit to the vet and that the dog died shortly thereafter. The police officer was able to locate the suspect.

The suspect said that he had let the dog out of its cage at about 9 a.m. Tuesday morning to use the restroom. At about 10 a.m., the suspect told the police, he noticed that the dog had defecated on the floor.

The suspect admitted that he then lost his temper and struck the dog at the base of the skull, which knocked the dog into a partially open cabinet door and then bounced off of it and ran back into its cage.

Some time later, the suspect noticed that the dog, who was his girlfriend’s, was in distress. He called his girlfriend, who came back to the residence and then they took the dog to the vet.

The dog arrived at the College Mall Vet Clinic at 11:15 a.m. and was declared dead about 15 minutes later. The veterinarian determined that the dog died due to being struck and hitting the cabinet door. There were no signs of other beatings or torture, the veterinarian indicated.

Bloomington police are seeking a warrant for the suspect, according to BPD Sgt. Jeff Canada. The man will likely be charged with cruelty to animals, a Class A misdemeanor, Canada said.

— Zach Ammerman