10/29/12: Woman stabbed family dog with butcher knife

FLORIDA -- A 22-year-old woman stabbed her family's dog seven times with an 8-inch butcher knife for the thrill of it, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.

Police said Mariessa Caggiano found her family's 10-year-old female Labrador Retriever lying in its usual place in the driveway of the home in the 1100 block of Cove Landing Drive at Mayport just after 9 p.m.

Mariessa Caggiano

Police said Caggiano stabbed the dog once, and the dog ran off with the knife still in it. Caggiano chased the dog into a neighbor's yard and stabbed it about six more times, police said.

Officers found the dog in the front yard of a home on Cypress Landing Drive, where it had finally collapsed. The dog was still alive, but was suffering from multiple severe stab wounds that were visibly open. The dog was rushed to an emergency veterinary hospital, but was not expected to live, police said.

Officers said Caggiano freely admitted to stabbing the dog and said she did it because she wanted to and just "wanted to see" what it felt like.

Caggiano was arrested and charged with cruelty to animals.

(News4Jax - Oct 29, 2012)