Officers found the 13-year-old Labrador retriever after being called at 1 p.m. to the Rivercrest Meadows Apartments at 11865 S.W. Tualatin Road, police said.
The dog's owner, 43-year-old Leroy Jacob Moffitt, was found through a microchip implanted in the canine, police said. He allegedly used a hatchet to kill the dog earlier in the day, but police have not released his motive for doing so.
Moffitt admitted to officers that he killed the dog. Neighbors said they believe this was his way of dealing with an aging pet but the manner in which the dog was put down has upset folks.
"When you euthanize an animal, you give them a shot and they just go to sleep, painlessly," said Danette Hughes, who saw the mutilated dog. "But when you kill an animal with a hatchet, there's got to be pain involved. You can't say there isn't."
Police say you should go to a veterinarian or shelter if you believe your pet needs to be euthanized.
Moffitt is facing a first-degree aggravated animal abuse charge, which is a felony.
(KATU - March 15, 2013)
