The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office says 58-year-old Daniel Turk of Tampa was arrested Sunday night at 8:25 p.m. after he beat his pitbull in the head with a hammer. The incident occurred after the dog and a house cat got into a fight in which the dog bit the cat.
Turk allegedly hit the dog to separate the animals then drug the dog outside and continued to hit it in the head and face to put him down.
The dog suffered multiple open wounds to his head and face, police say. Turk told officers he hit the dog 20 times “to knock him out.”
He signed possession of the animal to Hillsborough County and refused to provide treatment. He was charged with aggravated cruelty to animals.
Both animals are being treated at a local emergency clinic and are expected to survive.
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