Arizona: Martin Benavidez, 51, arrested for animal cruely; accused of hanging his puppy by its hing legs

ARIZONA -- A San Tan Valley man was arrested on suspicion of animal cruelty after his 6-month-old puppy was hanged by its hind legs, according to the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office.

The Pinal County Sheriff's Office got a call 7:50 p.m. June 16 from a person saying that a neighbor’s dog appeared to be in great pain as it hung from its hind legs in a backyard in the area of the 9900 block of Asbury Avenue, the office said in a statement.

Shortly after, Martin Benavidez, 51, was taken into custody at his San Tan Valley home, the sheriff’s office said.

The neighbor discovered the injured pup after she heard distant whimpering from her house. The neighbor told detectives that she followed the noise to Benavidez’s horse stable. As she peered through the fence, she saw the dog dangling upside down, the office said.

“When deputies arrived at the property where the dog was seen hanging, they found the dog cowering under a table in a covered horse pen,” Sheriff Paul Babeu of PCSO said in a statement. “It was no longer hanging, but was clearly injured, as it could not walk.”

Benavidez said he was training the dog, but denied hurting him.

"This is a horrific case of animal abuse and for the owner to think he was training the dog is absurd," Babeu said. "The dog was being tortured, not trained."

A Pinal County animal-cruelty officer came to the residence, and Benavidez surrendered custody of the 6-month-old Queensland heeler, the Sheriff's Office said.

The animal-cruelty officer found the pup to have swelling and rope marks around its hind legs, the office said.

The puppy is now recovering with Pinal County Animal Control Officer Riksta Dickerson, who helped rescue him that night.

"I sat with him and cried. I felt really bad; it really tugged at my heartstrings," she said. "He’s walking semi-normal now, but every once in a while you’ll see he throws out his hips."

She’s named him Spur and plans to give him his forever home

"He’s inside in the AC; he’s got a nice bed, dog beds in every room,” said Dickerson. "Oh he’s very cute and very sweet, loves everybody and everything."

Benavidez was arrested and released pending the Pinal County Attorney's Office review of the case, the Sheriff's Office said.

(11Alive - June 28, 2016)