'I think I took it a little too far': Florida boy, 12, beat dog with metal pipes, deputies say
MARION COUNTY, Fla. - The Marion County Sheriff's Office have arrested a 12-year-old boy on an aggravated animal cruelty charge after they said he tied a dog to a tree and beat it in the face with metal pipes.
Deputies said they were contacted by Animal Control after the boy's mother told them he had tied up the dog, named Tiny, and beat it with a pipe.
A witness who was repairing a broken water pipe on Feb. 24 reportedly asked the boy where Tiny was. The boy said the dog was tied up in the backyard. The witness then asked the boy to show him where he was.
Deputies say the boy tried to run to Tiny's location before the witness could. When the witness saw Tiny, "he found him unconscious, with a rope around his neck and blood on his face," the Sheriff's Office said.
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A deputy called to the scene said that the boy told him that he tied Tiny to a tree in the backyard with a rope and began to hit him with his hands and a stick to discipline him.
"He said he also hit Tiny with two silver metal pipes."
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The boy claimed to have hit the dog 10 times in the face and body. The deputy said that the boy told him “I think I took it a little too far.”
The juvenile was arrested and taken to the Marion County Department of Juvenile Justice.
"Tiny is being evaluated medically by Animal Services, but thankfully seems to be recovering well."