Man, 24, Charged With Animal Cruelty After His 6-Month-Old Puppy Died From Myriad Serious Injuries: PD

NEW HAVEN, CT — A 24-year-old New Haven man was charged with animal cruelty after his six-month-old puppy died from injuries that a veterinarian said were inconsistent with what the owner claimed. In March 2025, N'Quan Brown and his girlfriend brought puppy Bella to a veterinarian after Brown said "she could not stand up and was not eating or moving," police said.

"Brown claimed that he was giving the dog a bath at home when the handheld shower had fallen and hit the dog on the head," police said was Brown's reason for bringing the dog to the vet: the puppy was "not acting normally."

Police said "trauma vets" at an animal hospital examined the pup Bella and "determined she was suffering from severe internal bleeding in her abdominal area and sustained a fracture to one of her legs, which was inconsistent with what Brown reported."

"A further examination revealed a ruptured lung, and x-rays showed chronic rib fractures from a previous timeframe that appeared to have been healed," is what police said the vets discovered, and they contacted the police department's animal control division.

In a news release, police said that Brown had agreed to turn the dog over to the animal shelter, but despite "extensive efforts by hospital staff to save her, Bella unfortunately died later that day."

Police said given the injuries sustained were not consistent with what Brown reported, an arrest warrant was later drafted for the charge of animal cruelty resulting in death.

Brown turned himself in to authorities on Feb. 24, police said.

Court records show he posted $5,000 bail and was released. He's due in court March 20.

The charge, malicious killing of an animal, is a Class D felony and carries up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.