GAINESVILLE, Fla. Dec 14, 2004 — A man has been charged with animal cruelty for allegedly biting his Jack Russell terrier as punishment, and police say he used a 200-pound bull mastiff in an attempt to keep back officers who arrived to arrest him.
The mother of Mount Lee Lacy's girlfriend called police because she was concerned about an argument between him and her daughter about Lacy's unusual discipline method for his dog Lady.
Officers kicked down the apartment door when they heard an argument and a barking dog. Lacy was holding the mastiff named Breaker on a taut leash six feet inside the door. The officers drew their guns but didn't fire.
Lacy, 21, was handcuffed and jailed Saturday on one count each of felony animal cruelty and resisting arrest without violence. He remained in the Alachua County Jail on $25,000 bail Tuesday.
"He said that biting the dog was good punishment and that's how you train them, that dogs bite so that's what they understand," Sgt. Keith Kameg said. "When an officer went to check on (Lady), she was cowering in the back of her crate as if the officer was going to hurt her."
Police reported Lady's left front paw was bloody from a bite. Jack Russell terriers normally weight 10 to 16 pounds.
"If you are inflicting injury or breaking skin, or the dog is responding to pain, you are not doing any good," said Pepe Peruyero, a former police officer who operates a dog training school in nearby High Springs.
Information from: The Gainesville Sun,
- Associated Press
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=328652
). Apparently its what any dog's mum would do it to assert authority and tell the pup off, but only for something very serious. Plus, its only meant to be a slight nip on the ear.
