Man Beats Dog To Death With Shovel, Charged With Animal Cruelty

Police in Sarasota, Florida, arrested a man for allegedly beating his dog to death with a shovel outside his home in the neighborhood of Venice. Local media outlet the Sun Coast reported Monday that the man was taken into custody Saturday.

The dog, an eight-pound Chihuahua named Lucky, earlier belonged to the suspect, Aaron Merwine, but was later adopted by TJ Connors and Samantha Smith. The dog was staying at Merwine's home for the weekend when the incident took place.

“Every couple of weeks I’d get a text asking if they (Merwine's family) could see the pups, so we’d take them over for the weekend,” Connors told the Sun Coast. “They were regular parts of the dog’s life, so that’s why I can’t even believe I’m having this conversation with you right now.”

Both families said Merwine loved the dog and always treated him very well.

“To find out that it was my son who did this. He snapped. It’s just unreal. I don’t know how that just happens. That was his dog,” James Mucha, Aaron Merwine’s father, told the family that adopted the dog. “I’m really sorry for what my son’s done. I’m torn to pieces because I love Lucky, and for it to end right outside my doors has been even harder because I have to walk outside and see it every day, so I said we’ll plant flowers and plant a little tree here and call it our Lucky tree because Lucky’s little soul was here.”

It remains unclear why Merwine brutally killed the dog. His father said Merwine was facing some issues and he was sent for a mental health evaluation just a few months ago.

“He’s done some horrible actions. He’s in a bad place. He’s now going to go through the system and hopefully get the help he needs because he seriously needs help,” Mucha explained.

Merwine was held in Sarasota County Jail on a $100,000 bond after being charged with one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill and five counts of cruelty to animals. His arraignment was scheduled for May 10.

Last week, a North Carolina man was charged with fatally shooting his neighbor’s dog for allegedly barking excessively. The dog’s owner, Leigh West, told officials she came home the previous night and saw her pet dog, a three-year-old male boxer mix named Gibson, bleeding profusely.

“We rushed him to the hospital, they tried to save his life, and finally they couldn’t do anything else. I put my head on him and I said, ‘I am sorry this happened to you,’ and then he was euthanized,” West said.