Meanwhile, in Florida

David Etzel, 36, of Lake Worth, Florida was arrested about 4:30am Friday after biting his mother's Shih Tzu in the face, ripping the dog's eye out of its socket. According to police they received a complaint of animal cruelty and when they arrived at the animal hospital, they found the 2-year-old, 9- to 11-pound Shih Tzu, named Cujo, with his eye hanging out of the socket. David's mother told police her son had been teasing the dog and when he picked the dog up by the throat, it bit David in the face. In response, David bit the dog back. The veterinarian told deputies she sees this type of trauma when a dog has been hit by a car or attacked by another dog. She said the attack must have been very violent to cause such serious injuries. When officers went to David's home, they found him fast asleep. He told officers Cujo bit him, but he would never hurt the dog. Despite his statements to police, David was arrested and charged with animal cruelty. He is being held at the Palm Beach County Jail on $10,000 bail.




source: Sun-Sentinel