PORT ST. LUCIE — A 31-year-old man was arrested about 10 a.m. Monday on animal cruelty charges for allegedly dragging a dog nearly 2 miles behind his pickup truck.

According to Port St. Lucie Police Department reports, Napoleon Davis, who told police he was homeless and living with a brother in the 1500 block of Iffla Avenue, said he was taking the dog to the Humane Society of St. Lucie County because his relatives would no longer take care of it.

Tom Nichols, public information officer with the Port St. Lucie Police Department, said the cab of Davis’ truck “was full of stuff, and rather than clean it up and put the dog up there where it belonged, he put it in the back (of the truck),” tying the dog to a post in the truck bed with a 15-foot leash.

The dog, described as a small pit bull mix, apparently jumped out of the truck near Paar Drive and Darien Street and was dragged to the 3200 block of Rosser Boulevard, a distance of 1.9 miles, according to police.

Nichols said two people tried to stop the truck, “but it just kept going” before another pair of passers-by managed to stop Davis.

“The first people (who tried to stop the truck) called 911,” Nichols said, “and (Davis) called 911 once he stopped.”

Nichols said Davis told police he didn’t know the dog had jumped out of the truck.

Davis was being taken to the St. Lucie County Jail late Monday morning, Nichols said. The dog was taken to Animal Hospital of West Port St. Lucie.

“She’s in pretty rough shape,” Dr. Leonard Fox, a veterinarian at the clinic, said of “Holly,” the name given to the dog because of the Christmas season. “She has road rash everywhere; and treating road rash is like treating a burn victim. You can’t stitch the wounds together. She’ll have to have her bandages changed every two to three days for a month.”

Fox said the worst injuries were to the dog’s feet, which he said “look like ground beef.”

“She was dragged so long on her back legs that what you might call her big toes were worn down to the bone,” Fox said, adding that at least three of the dogs toes will have to be amputated in surgery planned Tuesday.

Fox said the dog weighs 42 pounds and is between a year and 18 months old.

Treating the dog is expected to cost from $1,000 to $1,500, Fox said.

David Robertson, operations manager at the Humane Society’s animal shelter in Fort Pierce, said that estimate “could be just the tip of the iceberg. She’s got some really horrific injuries.”

Fox said his office will donate some of its services, and the Humane Society is dipping into its emergency fund money.

“We’ll do whatever it takes,” Fox said. “She’s a good dog. She hasn’t given us a hard time, hasn’t tried to bite anyone, even with all the work we’ve been doing on her. I think she appreciates what we’re trying to do.”

The Holly Fund has been set up by the Humane Society of St. Lucie County to help pay for medical treatment for the dog dragged nearly 2 miles Monday morning in Port St. Lucie.

To contribute, call (772) 461-0687.

Tyler Treadway

Tags: amputate, animal cruelty, arrested, dog, dragging, humane society, road rash

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 15th, 2009 at 10:49 am and is filed under Crime, Port St. Lucie. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.