A 12-year-old girl has suffered the tragic loss of her dog as a result of a brutal and intentional beating.
The cruel incident took place last Saturday in Jerez when a 57-year-old man allegedly caused the violent death of a dog in the street in the presence of its young owner.
At around 2:15pm last Saturday, March 11, the citizen service number of the National Police, 091, received a call from a passer-by who alerted that a man was kicking a dog in the street.
On arrival at the scene, the police officers found the mother and daughter of the family dog in shock next to the lifeless body of the dog, which showed clear symptoms of having suffered a very recent, violent death.
According to eye witness accounts, the young 12-year old girl had been walking the family dog with her parents’ permission along Calle Buleria on the corner of Plaza del Cante Jondo, close to a nearby children’s playground, when the alleged perpetrator came out of a building and jumped the three steps separating the building’s doorway from the pavement, catching himself on the dog’s leash, where he stumbled, but didn’t fall to the ground at any point.
The individual suddenly responded violently by kicking the dog hard in the belly area, which left the animal badly wounded and lying on the ground next to the girl who tried to assist the animal.
However, according to the National Police in a statement, the individual continued the aggression, by stomping hard on the dog’s head and neck area, causing the animal’s instant death in front of the minor.
The young girl managed to gather the dog in her arms and run home seeking help from her parents.
Tragically, there was nothing the parents could do to save the dog, who at that point was already lifeless as a result of the violent attack.
The national police officers proceeded to arrest the man, who had an extensive criminal record with 17 previous convictions, as the alleged perpetrator of an aggravated offence of animal mistreatment.
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