Indiana: Cops say Luis Perez, 60, beat, tortured and broke the bones of his wife's tiny 4-pound dog

APRIL 17, 2016 UPDATE: Luis Perez, 60, pleads guilty to beating tiny dog to death


INDIANA -- A man who beat a tiny dog so badly that it was euthanized by a veterinarian has been charged with cruelty to an animal, torturing or mutilating a vertebrate animal, a Level 6 felony, according to court documents.

Luis Perez, 60, of the 3600 block of Brooklyn Ave., was arrested by police Jan. 15. Fort Wayne police got involved after Perez’ wife called and reported that the dog had been beaten. Police provided this account in a probable-cause affidavit filed Friday in Allen Superior Court:

Geela, a 5-year-old Maltese-Yorkie that weighed about 4 pounds, belonged to the woman, who said Geela was a therapy dog that helped her cope with the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder.

She told police that Perez had chased the dog in anger but hadn’t been able to catch it. She left their home after arguing with her husband, and when she returned a couple of hours later, her argument with her husband resumed, and she could not find the dog. Her husband left the home before police arrived.

She found her dog in the bathtub. The animal was covered in blood and excrement and unable to move. She saw that a large, swollen, purple area on the dog’s head. She also saw that its right front leg was broken and askew in two places.

Police officers found Perez elsewhere in the apartment building. While he was being taken to the detective bureau for questioning, Perez told police that “she loves the dog more than me” and “I should have killed that dog,” according to their report.

Animal Control officers took the dog to an emergency animal hospital, where a veterinarian found the dog to have two compound fractures in its leg and internal bleeding around its heart. The dog was euthanized.

(News Sentinel - Jan 26, 2016)