I love every dog, and this story is one of the hardest I've read this week. In Punta Gorda, Florida, a six-week-old puppy, barely old enough to be away from his mother, was allegedly beaten by a grown man until the puppy died. Investigators say the violence was caught on video, and that after the puppy died, the man disposed of his tiny body like trash.
The Charlotte County Sheriff's Office arrested 53-year-old Neil Puterbaugh after a tip came in showing him repeatedly striking the puppy. Deputies say additional videos recovered from his home appear to show further abuse of the same animal before he died. Sheriff Bill Prummell did not mince words, saying the only word he could find to describe it was "evil." Puterbaugh has been charged with aggravated animal cruelty, a felony, along with a violation of probation, and is being held without bond.
A six-week-old puppy cannot run from danger, cannot defend himself, and cannot tell anyone what is happening to him. He can only endure it. That total defenselessness is exactly why the person responsible for causing that kind of death needs to face the strongest possible consequences the law allows.
I'm calling on State Attorney Amira Fox and the 20th Judicial Circuit to pursue the maximum sentence available under Florida's aggravated animal cruelty statute, to oppose any effort to reduce the charges or release Neil Puterbaugh on bond while this case is pending, and to make clear, publicly, that Charlotte County treats the killing of a helpless animal as the serious felony it is.
This puppy never had a chance to be adopted, to be loved, to be anyone's best friend. The least we can do is make sure his death is not treated lightly by the courts. Please sign and add your voice.
