Beaufort man charged with abusing Lab puppy

A Beaufort man was arrested Sunday after he allegedly abused his 4-month-old black Labrador retriever puppy by throwing it against a wall and beating it repeatedly, according to a Beaufort County Sheriff's Office report.

The 30-year-old man was charged with ill treatment of animals.

A woman called the Sheriff's Office last week, saying the man abused the puppy daily, causing injuries to its leg, back and side.

The woman said that on the same morning she reported the abuse, the dog's owner gave the puppy a bath in cold water. When it yelped, he allegedly choked it, telling it to be quiet.

An officer who responded to the call said the puppy limped. When the officer asked about the injury, the man said he grabbed the puppy by the back leg when the dog tried to jump out of a car window.

The man said he sometimes hit the puppy while training him, but didn't hit the dog hard, only trying to make it listen, according to the report.

He told officers he didn't take the puppy to the veterinarian because he couldn't afford it.

Officers got permission to take the puppy to a veterinarian for an examination. An X-ray showed its right knee was sprained. The dog also had hemorrhaging in both eyes and hyperemia, or redness inside both ears.

The puppy is now at the Beaufort County Animal Shelter, according to the report.

Attempts to reach the shelter director to check on the puppy's condition were unsuccessful Tuesday.

The following reports were released Tuesday by the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office:

BEAUFORT

BURGLARY

• Westgate Drive: RCA 32-inch flat screen TV worth $375 and surround sound system worth $125 stolen.

• Falling Leaf Lane: Kenmore stove worth $400 and whirlpool refrigerator worth $350 stolen.

• Shanklin Road: Copper wire worth $1,200 stolen from electric company.

THEFT

• Broad River Boulevard: Black and orange engine stand worth $1,250, orange 20-ton engine hoist worth $800, 50-ton floor jack worth $1,500 and black vending machine worth $1,000 stolen from automotive business.

BLUFFTON

THEFT

• Cecil Reynolds Road: Boat motors worth $111,000 stolen from business.

BURTON

BURGLARY

• Troy-Bilt gasoline lawn mower worth $310, Wizard gasoline lawn mower worth $300, pressure washer worth $350 and set of vehicle ramps worth $85 stolen.

VANDALISM

• Shanklin Road: Headlights, rear window, rearview mirror, four tires and bumper lights of white 1991 Cadillac Seville broken. Damage: $950.

SHELDON

CAR BREAK-IN

• Back Gate Road: .380 caliber handgun worth $200 stolen from red 2006 Dodge Ram 1500 in maintenance lot.

Compiled by Juliann Vachon and Cassie Foss