SPCA: Black man slashed dog that disliked minorities
www.lohud.comYONKERS — A black man who had grown tired of the
incessant barking of a dog that reportedly dislikes
minorities was arrested Monday night after he
slashed its face, police said.
The German shepherd lost an eye, and the suspect
— who worked for an oil delivery business where
the dog stood guard — was arrested on a felony a
ggravated cruelty charge. He also was charged with
fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon, a
misdemeanor.
Andrew Owens, 58, was arraigned Tuesday in City
Court after spending the night in jail. He admitted to
the crime, police said.
"The dog reacts to black people, Hispanics, anyone
who is not white," owner Paul Tocco said. "She
always barked at him. He (Owens) was well aware the
dog didn't like him, and he knew to stay away from
her."
A detective for the SPCA of Westchester said the
slashing was unprovoked. It took place around 7 p.
m. as the dog, a 4-year-old named Jenna, was
leashed outside Valley Oil at 707 Nepperhan Ave.
Owens, who worked there as a handyman, had
threatened to kill the dog in the past and told
authorities it had bitten him about a year ago. M
onday night, he "egged on" the barking dog and
charged at her, Detective Ken Ross III said. Owens is
alleged to have then brandished a 9-inch folding
knife.
Owens is accused of taunting the dog with his arm,
raising his arm with a knife and slashing the dog
across the face, Ross said. The dog was cut "over
the right eye, all the way down to the socket bone,"
he said.
Tocco, whose family runs the business, said he
heard the dog barking, went outside and saw Owens
strike the dog.
"The dog let out a loud yelp, and when I ran there,
she turned her head toward me and I seen the whole
right side of her head bleeding," Tocco said.
Rather than going after Owens, Tocco placed Jenna
in a work van and drove her to a Greenburgh animal
hospital. A veterinarian performed emergency
surgery, but the eye couldn't be saved, Ross said.
The dog was transferred Tuesday to an animal
hospital in Scarsdale.
"The dog is supposedly in good spirits and is OK
now," Ross said. "But it did lose the eye."
The detective said he's uncertain why the action was
taken against the dog.
"He never liked the dog," Ross said of Owens. "The
dog did not bite him (Monday). It appears
everything was done out of anger."
Owens, who lives nearby, was arrested at his
apartment at 10:20 p.m.
Tocco said he would never allow Owens to work
there again. "We don't want him around here
anymore," he said.
After an initial report about the incident appeared
on The Journal News' Web site Tuesday afternoon,
Tocco said, he got bombarded by media calls, with
many reporters asking about his dog's attitude .
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Yonkers, N.Y. is where I am right now.
