Police: Disabled dog drowns after being tossed in pool during domestic argument

Credit: DaytonDailyNews

A South Florida man fighting with his ex-wife threw a disabled Chihuahua into a backyard swimming pool, telling the animal "You can't swim but you're going to learn tonight" before it drowned, the Sun-Sentinel reported.

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Pembroke Pines police arrested Juan Manuel Gonzalez, 40, on Thursday night and charged him with domestic violence and animal cruelty, the newspaper reported. Gonzalez’s ex-wife, who is four months pregnant, was injured during the domestic dispute, police said.

The arrest report does not describe the dog's disability, the Sun-Sentinel reported.

Gonzalez’s ex-wife called police around 11 p.m. Thursday, telling them she was grabbed by her face and suffered a cut lip.

“The victim advised that during the physical altercation, the defendant was screaming and yelling and destroying personal property within the house,” the arrest report said. “The victim also stated that she could hear the dog apparently suffering and crying for a short period of time. Ultimately, the family dog drowned.”

Police said Gonzalez was the "primary" aggressor in the dispute, the Sun-Sentinel reported. Gonzalez denied hurting his ex-wife but admitted throwing their dog into the pool, the newspaper reported.

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