Florida: Michael O'Brien, 22, accused of torturing and stabbing his dog - over a two-day period - while she was trapped inside a dog crate

FLORIDA -- Nala the Siberian Husky was on the verge of dying when her owner brought her into an animal hospital in Cooper City, bleeding out from a deep cut on her forelimb, according to a Sunrise police arrest report.

She was given two emergency blood transfusions and was resuscitated through CPR.

Her owner, Michael O'Brien, claimed that Nala had run into a glass door, but authorities discovered that he stabbed his pet with a kitchen knife because she wouldn't stop barking, according to the report.

While the veterinarian at the LeadER Animal Specialty Hospital was immediately dubious of O'Brien's account when he brought the dog in on Nov. 8, police said they launched an investigation after being contacted by an anonymous caller five days later.

Police interviewed a man on Jan. 5 who was in O'Brien's Sunrise apartment when the alleged incident occurred.

That witness, Nicholas Richards, told police that O'Brien became enraged by his dog's barking and used a kitchen knife to repeatedly jab at the dog, who was inside a crate in the living room, the arrest report said.

Richards said it didn't appear that Nala was injured, but the next morning, when the dog again started barking, O'Brien, 22, grabbed the same knife and began "poking" Nala, who was still trapped inside the crate.

This time O'Brien cut Nala, and blood poured from the wound and pooled on the bottom of the crate, according to the report.

The animal continued bleeding heavily and Richards insisted that O'Brien get help for his dog. Eventually, O'Brien agreed, and the two men took Nala to the hospital, the report said.

O'Brien admitted he stabbed the dog, investigators said. He was arrested Friday and charged with cruelty to animals and was released Saturday evening after posting a bond of $2,500, court records show.

ARREST INFO:
Full Name: Michael Alison Obrien
Race: Black
Gender: Male
Birthdate: 01/27/1994
Arrest Age: 22
Height: 6'03"
Weight: 230 lbs
Hair Color: BLK
Eye Color: BRO
Date: 01/20/2017
Arresting Agency: SUNRISE
Total Bond: $2500
Charge:
#1 CAUSE CRUEL DEATH PAIN AND SUFFERING-ANIMAL
STATUTE: 828.12-2
BOND: $2,500

(Sun Sentinel - Jan 23, 2017)