St. Petersburg man charged with beating Chihuahua to death | Crime, Crashes and Fires

ST. PETERSBURG — A man was arrested after he kicked, threw and struck a 7-year-old Chihuahua mix with a chair, killing the dog, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office said.

Deputies responded to a report of a verbal domestic disturbance at 5235 78th St. N. on March 14 and found the dog, named Sheba, dead outside the home, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

Investigators said Christopher Howard, 35, kicked Sheba across a room after the dog wandered into a bedroom where she was not allowed. He then grabbed her by the neck, threw her toward the front door and hit her with a chair across the neck and back, deputies said.

Howard then picked the dog up by the neck again and dropped her on the ground outside, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

Howard was charged with felony cruelty to animals and booked into the Pinellas County Jail.