Chihuahua beaten to death with shovel in Peoria

PEORIA, AZ (AZFamily) — An animal abuse investigation is underway after a man was caught on camera beating a chihuahua to death with a shovel in Peoria.

WARNING: Some details may be graphic.

Officials say the man in the video claimed he intended to “smack the dog on the butt” using a shovel but the dog turned and was hit in the head instead. The man also claims he was acting in self-defense to protect his cats and chickens after the dog got into the yard somehow.

Arizona’s Family spoke with Cynthia Romero, a cousin of the family who lost their dog. She couldn’t believe someone would treat an animal like that.

“I was shocked and immediately felt disgusted and just couldn’t believe someone was capable of doing something so horrific to a small and innocent animal,” Romero said.

The Peoria police said that when they responded to the initial 911 call, the video provided by one of the neighbors was not available. They are still investigating the incident. So far, no arrests have been made.

Editor’s Note: The home that was shown in the video originally attached to this story is NOT related to the incident.

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