Medford Man Arrested for Brutalizing Girlfriend's Pit Bull, Police Say

Mugshot: Ryan Baker, of 52 Cleveland St., Medford

A presumably newly-single Medford man was arrested on three felony animal cruelty charges on Sunday, and was taken for arraignment at Somerville District Court on Tuesday, March 17.

According to police, video evidence compiled by a concerned neighbor shows three instances of Ryan Baker, 32, brutally abusing his girlfriend’s dog, a well-behaved 1- to 1.5-year-old pit bull named Bullet.

Footage below, shot by the neighbor, shows a man said to be Baker hurling an unresponsive Bullet over a fence. According to police, the other videos show Baker kicking and punching the dog, who’s barely old enough to be considered past his puppy phase.

The girlfriend, who was dropping Bullet off at Baker’s home on weekends, had not noticed signs of abuse. However, Medford Animal Control has deemed the girlfriend a suitable human companion for Bullet now that Baker has left the picture.

Police report that Bullet is presently healthy apart from a cut on his eye, and bouncing back to normal.