Dogsey

A puppy who was stabbed a number of times by her owner and left to die in a trash bin is recovering from surgery and expected to survive. Her owner, Texas man Larry Dollins Jr., 42, admitted to stabbing the puppy but said he loves his dog, wasn't trying to be cruel and was trying to take care of her.

The stabbing was witnessed by Dollins' neighbour, Cheryl, who, after seeing him 'maliciously' stabbing 14-week-old Taz and screaming at him to stop, ran to her house to phone the police. Taz was found bleeding in a trash bin from multiple stab wounds along her back, haunches and legs, and taken to the Key City Veterinary Clinic for surgery.

Taz's owner confessed to his crime and was arrested after officers forcibly entered his house. In a prison interview, Dollins insisted he was not being cruel. Claiming that he could not afford veterinary bills, he said that Taz suffers from intestinal worms and heartworms and insisted he had no idea that animal shelters would take dogs if the owners could no longer look after them. Referring to a 2007 drug conviction, he explained he is on probation and is not allowed to own or carry a gun. “It was not an easy decision,” he said. “It took me hours to work up the nerve to go out there and do it.”



A psychotherapist commented that an external factor might have caused Dollins to take his aggression out on a helpless animal and a friend blamed a drug addiction. Dollins faces up to two years in prison as well as a $10,000 fine for his crime. He is being held at Taylor County Jail on $25,000 bail, facing charges of animal cruelty.



Taz is described as having a “really loving attitude” and a “positive outlook on life, despite what she's been through”. After lots of interest in her, Taz is expected to find a new home very soon.