Naples man, 23, arrested on animal cruelty charges after puppy dies in hospital
A Naples man faces animal cruelty charges, accused of beating his 5-month-old puppy to death.
Detectives with the Collier County Sheriff’s Office Animal Cruelty Investigations Alliance arrested Robert William Garon, 23, Thursday and charged him with the late July incident.
Garon, of the 7500 block of Campania Way, is charged with cruelty to animals causing cruel death, pain or suffering in connection with the beating death of a 5-month-old Goldendoodle named Buzz Lightyear.
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"This is one of the worst cases of animal abuse we’ve seen," Sheriff Rambosk said in a Facebook post. "No animal should ever have to suffer such a death."
The sheriff's office began investigating Aug. 2 after Collier County Domestic Animal Services contacted them about a suspected case of abuse involving the puppy.
The investigation showed Garon and his girlfriend brought the injured puppy to the Emergency Pet Hospital, in the 6500 block of Dudley Drive, on July 29.
The puppy lived with the couple. The couple was unable to provide hospital staff with an explanation for the puppy’s injuries, officials said.
The puppy was wet, disoriented, and unable to breathe normally, unable to stand or pick its head up.
A veterinarian examination revealed possible head trauma, bruising to the right ear and mouth, and muscle damage throughout the body.
The puppy died at the hospital from its injuries.
A witness later contacted the hospital and told staff they heard Garon beating the puppy on July 29.
Hospital staff contacted officials.
During the CCSO investigation, veterinarians performed a necropsy on the puppy at Humane Society Naples.
The necropsy report included the following, according to the post: "This dog’s death was caused by non-accidental, blunt force trauma to the head and body with secondary internal hemorrhage. I believe he suffered significantly from his injuries before death."
Detectives determined that Garon had inflicted the injuries.
Garon's next court date is Sept. 6. No bond information was available Friday afternoon.
Tomas Rodriguez is a Breaking/Live News Reporter for the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. You can reach Tomas at TRodriguez@gannett.com or 772-333-5501. Follow him on Twitter @TomasFRoBeltran.
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Naples man charged, deputies say he killed puppy named Buzz Lightyear
