No one ever want to see the words “puppy” and “stabbing” in close proximity, but here it is: on Monday, Abilene Police arrested a 42-year-old man for allegedly stabbing a fourteen-week-old puppy eleven times.
As cringeworthy news stories go, this one seems to have a happy(ish) ending: the pup, who has been nicknamed Taz, is on the mend after being treated for her wounds, according to the Abilene Reporter-News.
On Sunday, Larry Dollins, Jr., allegedly stabbed the pup and tossed her into a dumpster. But this malicious act did not escape the notice of his neighbor, Cheryl Ascol, who told police what she saw. “I screamed at him and told him to please stop stabbing the dog,” she told the Reporter-News.
Police obtained a warrant and attempted to arrest Dollins, who did not go quietly. Police surrounded Dollins’ home for thirty minutes before busting his door down. KTAB’s Jessica Reyes was among the media assembled to witness the event and had video footage of Dollins being wrestled to the ground. (A photo on the newspaper’s website shows police trying to handcuff Dollins as drug dog, Tex, looked on.)
KTXS News reported that Dollins was booked on a count of animal cruelty. He could face up to two years in prison and a $10,000 fine. Abilene Police Department Detective Ernest Moscarelli told the Reporter-News that Dollins is a felon on probation.
Dollins had reportedly owned the puppy for several months. After news of the attack was publicized, people are lining up to adopt her.
