Puppy Killed For Defecating In South Beach Apartment: Police

MIAMI BEACH, FL — One day after city officials publicly celebrated the community effort that led to the arrest of a hotel clerk in connection with a crossbow attack on a stray cat named "Strushie," Miami Beach police charged another man with kicking his seven-month-old puppy to death on Thursday. The latest incident occurred in the 1600 block of Meridian Avenue. Police said 30-year-old Woody Pierre was allegedly angry because his black mixed canine defecated in his South Beach apartment.

"Just after 2 p.m. MBPD received a 9-1-1 call from ... Meridian Avenue," Ernesto Rodriguez of the Miami Beach Police Department told Patch. "The caller indicated a male was hitting a dog." (Sign up for our free Daily Newsletters and Breaking News Alerts for the Miami Beach Patch.)

Rodriguez said that officers were too late to save the dog, who was named "Lucy."

Like your Miami Beach Patch

"Officers arrived and discovered a deceased dog in the courtyard," Rodriguez explained. Police took Pierre into custody and later charged him with animal cruelty and possession of marijuana.

"I don't understand how anyone can do this to an animal," a neighbor told Local 10 News fighting back tears. "That dog loved him so much."

Arrest documents stated that Pierre had Lucy for only about four months.

"The defendant was observed and video recorded by the witnesses kicking and shoving 'Lucy' with his feet into a small space between the sidewalk and the fence at the rear of his apartment," according to arrest documents. "The defendant had her tied to a fence by her leash and in a position where she could not escape or defend herself. The ambient temperature in the area at that time was in excess of 90 degrees and 'Lucy' was tied to an area with no shade or water."

City commissioners issued a proclamation on Wednesday night proclaiming July 26 "Strushie Day" in honor of the stray, whose death touched animal lovers around the world. Officers and community members who participated in the investigation were honored during Wednesday's meeting of Miami Beach Commissioners.

Photo of Woody Pierre courtesy of Miami-Dade County Corrections and Rehabilitation Department.