PORT ST. LUCIE — A 31-year-old man was arrested about 10 a.m. Monday on animal cruelty charges for allegedly dragging a dog nearly two miles behind his pickup truck.
According to Port St. Lucie Police Department reports, Napoleon Davis, who told police he was homeless and living with a brother in the 1500 block of Iffla Avenue, said he was taking the dog to the Humane Society of St. Lucie County because his relatives would no longer take care of it.
Tom Nichols, public information officer with the Port St. Lucie Police Department, said the cab of Davis’ truck “was full of stuff, and rather than clean it up and put the dog up there where it belonged, he put it in the back (of the truck),” tying the dog to a post in the truck bed in with a 15-foot leash.
The dog, described as a small pit bull mix, apparently jumped out of the truck near Paar Drive and Darien Street and was dragged to the 3200 block of Rosser Boulevard, a distance of 1.9 miles, according to police.
Nichols said two people tried to stop the truck, “but it just kept going” before another pair of passersby managed to stop Davis.
“The first people (who tried to stop the truck) called 911,” Nichols said, “and (Davis) called 911 once he stopped.”
Davis was being taken to the St. Lucie County Jail late Monday morning, Nichols said. The dog was taken to Animal Hospital of West Port St. Lucie.
“She’s in pretty rough shape,” said Dr. Leonard Fox, a veterinarian at the clinic. “She has road rash everywhere; and treating road rash is like treating a burn victim. You can’t stitch the wounds together. She’ll have to have her bandages changed every two to three days for a month.”
Fox said the worst injuries were to the dog’s feet.
“She was dragged so long on her back legs that what you might call her big toes were worn down to the bone,” Fox said. “They’re both going to have to be amputated.”
Fox said the surgery probably will take place Tuesday.
