Police say man admitted “he fought the dog” after beating his girlfriend’s puppy to death for biting his finger

Police have charged a Bradenton man with animal abuse after he beat his girlfriend’s 10-month-old puppy to death for biting his finger.

Jeffrey Hall, 29, was arrested Wednesday and charged with felony aggravated animal abuse. He is being held at the Manatee County jail on a $1,500 bond.

The investigation into Hall began Monday when Bradenton police received a call from a local veterinarian about a 10-month-old pit bull that had died and been dropped off to them, and staff there thought abuse had been involved, according to Lt. Brian Thiers. Detective Lixa Moyett went out to the veterinary office to retrieve the dog’s body and speak with the owner, who was still there at the time.

“She said that her boyfriend had beat the dog because the dog bit him,” Thiers said.

A necropsy was performed on the puppy, Toby, revealing “injuries consistent with being beat with a fist, kicked or stomped and hit with an unknown object.” Toby’s lung had also collapsed and liver ruptured as a result of blunt force that had been inflicted.

Once Moyett had confirmed that abuse had occurred, Hall was then interviewed.

“Jeffrey says the dog bite his finger,” Thiers said. The defendant admitted to the abuse according to police by then saying, “He fought the dog.”

Toby’s owner, Hall’s girlfriend, was not home at the time of the incident and police said they have no reason to believe she had any involvement.

This story was originally published October 11, 2017 at 6:54 PM with the headline "Police say man admitted “he fought the dog” after beating his girlfriend’s puppy to death for biting his finger."