Glades man Luc Jean Baptiste accused of cutting dog's leg off with hand saw; facing animal cruelty

BELLE GLADE — A 10-year-old dog was removed from a Belle Glade home on Tuesday after her owner cut off her leg with a handsaw, Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control officials said.

Luc Jean Baptiste, 48, of Belle Glade was charged with felony animal cruelty after a witness said he duct-taped the dog's mouth shut, hog-tied her, and sawed through her right front leg. The witness told animal control officers that Baptiste removed the leg because the dog had injured it, officials said.

Animal control was called to the house in the 600 block of Southwest Avenue C by the sheriff's office, which was investigating a shooting at the residence. In all, the county removed seven adult dogs and four puppies from the home.

Animal control officials say the abuse case is one of the worst they have seen.

"My initial reaction to something like this is just absolute anger," Animal Control Director Dianne Sauve said Friday. "I don't buy for one minute that someone is trying to help an animal by doing something so barbaric to it. "

Animal control officials have named the dog, a pit bull-type mix, Karma.

"I think that what goes around comes around," said Sauve, who came up with the name. "I think whoever did this to this dog is going to be carrying a karmic debt for a long, long time."

The dog also has a severe infection in her uterus, a sign that she has been used for breeding, officials said.

Karma is expected to undergo surgery to remove her uterus today. Officials hope to repair her leg and eventually put her up for adoption.