A Frenchman who buried his aging mastiff alive in a dump this weekend then abandoned the dog there to die a slow and painful death has finally been arrested.
French officials have charged the 21-year-old with animal cruelty and other criminal counts, despite the suspect repeatedly lying about how the dog got covered with gravel up to her neck.
According to investigators, the youth’s claim that the arthritic mastiff merely “ran away” and fell into a stony grave on her own volition was “not very plausible” in light of the animal’s advanced age and related health issues.
“The dog is more than 10 years old and suffers from arthritis,” a police spokesman said. “It's difficult to imagine her running away.”
The mistreated mastiff -- who thankfully was found alive by a passerby while walking his own dog -- had additionally been tied to a heavy bag of stones to guarantee she wouldn’t be able to free herself.
“Only her head was visible and it was difficult to see given the amount of earth covering her,” the rescuer posted on Facebook this week.
The severely distressed and dehydrated dog is recovering at a veterinary clinic now, but the case has caused international outrage, as well as a petition demanding that her callous owner receive “the maximum sentence” for his crime.
French prosecutors have already promised that, once the young man is convicted for trying to kill his pet by burying her alive, he’ll be imprisoned for two years and further be required to pay a fine in excess of $32,000.
Crime Magazine regularly covers cruelty cases like this one because studies show that animal abuse is a gateway crime to *greater* criminal offenses, such as serial killing.
