Pet Dog Beaten With Hammer, Owner Arrested For Mutilating Canine

A pet dog was beaten with a hammer by his owner in Dearborn County, Indiana, police said Monday. The owner was arrested after a neighbor reported the animal abuse.

The Dearborn County Sheriff's Office received a call Saturday from a neighbor saying Joseph Stubbers was spotted hitting the dog and later found him cleaning the floor with bleach after the incident.

Court documents said that Stubbers told the neighbor he was cleaning because his dog, Cooper, had "pooped" on the floor. The neighbor's son was crying and told her he had seen Stubbers hitting the dog with a hammer. Dearborn Police said the dog was allegedly beaten in such a way that the animal started vomiting.

Another neighbor told police he heard a gunshot and saw Stubbers shoot at the dog with a handgun, according to court records.

When police arrived at the neighborhood to investigate the incident, they found spots of blood in the driveway and in the garage where "it was obvious that something had been cleaned up."

Police visited Stubbers' house and found the dog had a mutilated right eye and wet blood covering his head and face, court records said, according to local media reports.

Stubbers told police he went over to the dog and "might have" tapped him with the hammer to get him to move. Stubbers said the dog attacked him and "latched" onto his arm," according to court records. However, no wounds were found on Stubbers' arm.

Stubbers said after the dog bit his arm, he hit the canine with the hammer. He also admitted to shooting the dog. Stubbers was charged with torturing or mutilating an animal.