A Pinellas County man has been arrested on felony animal cruelty charges after deputies say he fatally beat his dog for entering a room she was not allowed to enter.
The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office reported that deputies responded shortly before 3 p.m. on Saturday to a call about a verbal domestic disturbance at a home in the 5200 block of 78th Street North in West Lealman.
When officers arrived, they found a 7-year-old Chihuahua mix named Sheba dead outside the residence.
Investigators said Christopher Howard, 35, became angry when the dog entered a bedroom where she was not allowed. Deputies allege Howard kicked the dog across the room, picked her up by the neck, and threw her toward the front doorway.
Authorities said Howard then struck the dog with a chair across her neck and back, and later dropped her outside the home.
Howard was taken into custody and booked at Pinellas County Jail on one count of felony cruelty to animals.
