Ohio Woman Viciously Punched, Body Slammed Pet Dog Until It Became Motionless; Charged

A woman in Monroe, Ohio, was charged with animal cruelty Wednesday (April 8) for abusing her pet dog.

Speaking to local media Friday, Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones said Butler County Dog Wardens responded to a home Wednesday after receiving several calls saying a woman was abusing her dog. The witnesses said they saw the accused body slamming the canine and punching it viciously. They also said that they could hear the dog, a black Labrador puppy, yelping in pain until it lost consciousness. They feared that the canine was dead.

The wardens seized the canine and took the woman, identified as 32-year-old Gabrielle Johnson, into custody. She was charged with Cruelty to a Companion Animal.

“Companion animals are just that, companions. You do not mistreat or abuse them and if you do, you will face a judge. It won’t be tolerated,” Sheriff Jones said. The condition of the canine was not known.

In a similar incident in Louisiana this week, a man fatally shot his roommate’s dog. The owner of the white Labrador retriever walked outside her home after putting the canine in its kennel inside the residence. A few minutes later, the woman heard gunshots from the house. She rushed inside and found the canine lying in a pool of blood inside its cage. She immediately alerted the police. The officers found the canine with multiple gunshot wounds and rushed the dog to the parish animal shelter for treatment where it succumbed to the injuries. The woman’s roommate, identified as 37-year-old Randy Maestas, was taken into custody for killing the canine and charged with aggravated cruelty to animals.