A dog was found beaten and tied. A 12-year-old said he tried to teach it a lesson, cops say
A 12-year-old Central Florida boy is accused of tying up a dog and beating him with pipes.
According to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, the preteen, whose name the Miami Herald is withholding because of his age, faces one count of aggravated animal cruelty following his arrest on Tuesday.
Deputies say a witness was repairing a broken water pipe on Monday when he asked the 12-year-old where Tiny the dog was. The boy replied in the backyard — but when he pressed the preteen to show him, things got strange.
“Twice [the boy] attempted to run to the dog’s location to beat the witness there but the witness made [the boy] wait for him,” the sheriff’s office said.
The witness discovered Tiny “unconscious with a rope around his neck and blood on his face,” a deputy wrote.
Animal Control and Social Services called the sheriff’s office after the boy’s mother informed the two agencies of what transpired.
When a deputy arrived, the boy said that he tied Tiny to the tree and tried to discipline the dog by hitting him with his hands, a stick and eventually two silver metal pipes. The boy claimed to have hit the dog in both the face and body about 10 times, according to the sheriff’s office. He also told the deputy “I think I took it a little too far.”
The preteen was arrested and taken to the Marion County Department of Juvenile Justice. Animal Services medically evaluated Tiny but he appears to be recovering well.
