SAN ANTONIO (KTSA News) – Police have arrested a man accused of stabbing a dog in the face and using pliers to break his teeth.

Shannon Sims, assistant director of animal Care Services, says they got a call about a man abusing a dog August 2 at a place on USAA Boulevard.  The dachshund mix named Cosmo had cuts on his face.

“He had pretty significant cuts to the face, one of which nicked an artery. He also admitted using a leatherman tool to cut off the canines,” Sims told KTSA News.

Man used pliers to cut dog’s canine teeth/SAPD Photo

 

Forty-year-old Vernon Ortiz claims he was disciplining Cosmo because he had peed in his dog bed.

“He had previously clipped off the canines because when he was disciplining the animal, he didn’t want it to bite him or break skin,” Sims said.

Ortiz was arrested Friday and charged with animal abuse to include torture, which is a 3rd degree felony. Sims says this is the first 3rd-degree felony animal abuse case they have pursued under relatively new legislation.

Cosmo, who belongs to Ortiz’s girlfriend, is on the road to recovery.

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