Man Fatally Beat Tiny Six-Week-Old Puppy

Punta Gorda, Florida – A six-week-old puppy suffered a brutal death at the hands of a Florida man who repeatedly punched it. According to the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office, 53-year-old Neil R. Puterbaugh was arrested on September 15 after a crime tip was reported to the authorities.

In a release, the violent encounter was recounted, describing what video footage captured:

(Puterbaugh) repeatedly and forcefully striking his six-week-old puppy. This violence continued, along with additional abuse, until the helpless animal had died.

Shockingly, though the puppy was only six weeks of age, additional videos were found showing Puterbaugh abusing the pup.

Puterbaugh was arrested on felony Aggravated Animal Cruelty charges and Violation of Probation.

Sheriff Bill Prummell said:

“My heart hurts for what this sweet puppy endured. There is no excuse for abuse of this kind, and I believe the only word to describe it is ‘evil’. Thank you to the person who reported this, and to our media partner who shared it with us to investigate. I wish we could have known sooner so that maybe we could have prevented this terrible outcome. I pray this puppy is now playing free for eternity in a world without pain and fear.”