INDIANTOWN — A 14-year-old boy is accused of animal cruelty after his dog was dragged by a vehicle the boy had left him tied to, sheriff’s deputies say.

An officer with the Martin County Sheriff’s animal control unit spotted the injured dog Sunday morning by Mac’s Grocery in the Booker Park area.

A sheriff’s deputy recalled seeing the dog, uninjured, the day before, tied to a vehicle parked outside the teen’s home.

After interviewing the boy and his parents, the deputy learned the boy had left the dog tethered to the vehicle.

Later that day, the teen’s father gave a family member permission to borrow the vehicle and the relative drove away without realizing the dog had been tied to the vehicle. Several relatives use the same vehicle, the family said.

The dog was dragged nearly 530 yards before it was able to break free, deputies estimated.
(more…)