Man accused of cruelty for biting his dog's paw

Chomping down is suitable punishment that dogs understand, the Gainesville man claims. No it isn't, say experts.

GAINESVILLE - A 21-year-old man has been charged with animal cruelty for allegedly biting his Jack Russell terrier as punishment.

Mount Lee Lacy told officers that he bit his dog, Lady, on Saturday because she had defecated in the house. He told police that he routinely bites her as punishment.

"He said that biting the dog was good punishment and that's how you train them, that dogs bite so that's what they understand," said Sgt. Keith Kameg of the Gainesville Police Department.

Police went to Lacy's apartment Saturday after his girlfriend's mother called. She was worried because the couple was arguing over Lacy's unusual discipline method for his dog.

Officers kicked down the apartment door when they heard an argument and a barking dog.

Lacy was holding a bull mastiff named Breaker on a taut leash 6 feet inside the door. Breaker, about 200 pounds, lunged at the officers, who drew their guns.

Lacy tried to flee into the bathroom with Breaker, but officers stopped him.

He was handcuffed and jailed Saturday on charges of felony animal cruelty and resisting arrest without violence. He remained in the Alachua County Jail in lieu of $25,000 bail Tuesday.

Lady's left front paw was bloody from her master's bite, police said. Her weight was unknown, but Jack Russell terriers usually weigh 10 to 16 pounds.

She seemed scared of people, police said.

"When an officer went to check on (Lady), she was cowering in the back of her crate as if the officer was going to hurt her," Kameg said.

Several dog trainers and animal behavior experts said biting a dog was unacceptable, a cruel form of punishment that would not help with training.

"If you are inflicting injury or breaking skin, or the dog is responding to pain, you are not doing any good," said Pepe Peruyero, a former police officer who operates a dog training school in nearby High Springs.

"A lot of people will spank their dogs on the butt or on the nose. Then, when they are at the park and somebody goes to pet the dog on the butt or touch the face, the dog may think it is going to get struck and will lash out by biting."

Information from the Gainesville Sun was used in this report.

[Last modified December 15, 2004, 00:30:19]