Pet Dog's Eye Surgically Removed After Neighbor Brutally Beats It With Log

A man from Valparaiso, Indiana, was arrested and charged with animal cruelty Friday for brutally beating his neighbor’s pet dog with a log causing the canine’s eye to be removed surgically.

On Aug.28, Courtney Gutowski’s 16-year-old daughter walked outside their home to find their neighbor brutally beating their dog, a beagle/dachshund mix named Echo, in the head with a log. Following the attack, Echo was rushed to an animal hospital. Vets surgically removed the canine’s left eye due to the severity of the damage. The dog’s stitches were removed last week, however, despite an overall improvement, the canine remained psychologically affected by the attack.

"He is still very afraid when we take him out anywhere. But he is finally running around in our backyard again under close supervision,” Gutowski told the Times of Northwest Indiana.

Meanwhile, the accused, identified as 55-year-old Ronald Johnson, was charged with torturing or mutilating an animal and cruelty to an animal. He was booked into the Porter County Jail on Friday but has since been bonded out.

Calling this “incredibly disappointing,” Gutowski said, "I don't think he should have been able to bond out that easily.”

She added that this was not the first time the accused had attacked her one-year-old pet. In March, she found him throwing "softball-size ice chucks" at the dog’s head for barking in the yard. She went to the Porter County Sheriff's Department to complain, however, they refused to investigate as there wasn't any significant injury or proof.

Gutowski said following the March incident, she spoke to Johnson to ensure that this did not happen again.

"I said, 'Please don't kill my dog. I know you're short-tempered, you don't have patience. But please don't kill my dog. I will try to work with you and leave him out for only five or 10 minutes at a time. If you have a problem, talk to me.’ And he agreed to that,” she said.

Meanwhile, Johnson is scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 25 for the initial hearing.