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10-year-old boy charged in beating death of dog

By Cox Media Group National Content Desk
May 13, 2015

A 10-year-old boy is facing a felony charge for beating a neighbor’s dog to death.

Police have charged the boy with animal cruelty-torture and delinquent conduct.

Neighbor Jennifer Knittel is the dead dog's owner. She told WFAA that Cookie, a 15-pound Cavalier-poodle mix was "the sweetest thing."

A neighbor told police that she saw a boy attempting to kick two dogs hiding under a truck. When she drove back down the street just a few moments later, she saw one of the dogs slumped on a porch.

The neighbor said she saw the boy walking away from the porch with a stick in his hand.

Knittel, who was not at home when the incident occurred, says her boyfriend was letting the dogs play in the fenced-in backyard. She believes the boy unlatched the gate and lured the dogs out, then attacked Cookie.

The dog’s skull had been crushed, and its injuries are consistent with the animal being beaten with a stick, according to animal control.

The boy’s family told police that Cookie attacked their son.

The case has sparked outrage on social media.

UPDATE: Police now say the suspect is 10, not 11 as they originally stated. On Thursday, the boy will be charged with delinquent conduct/animal cruelty-torture, a felony.

Posted by WFAA-TV on Wednesday, May 13, 2015

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