Man Who Shot Dog 32 Times Charged with Cruelty

A man who shot his dog repeatedly with a pellet gun was charged Monday with animal cruelty.

Paul Bevan-Xenelis, 39, of Quakertown also was charged with not licensing Kane, an American bulldog.

Bevan-Xenelis shot Kane in the head at least 32 times as the dog was tied to a fence, Doylestown Township police said Monday. Eight .22 caliber slugs were recovered from the dog's body, they said.

But Kane did not die immediately from his wounds. Instead, Bevan-Xenelis left the wounded dog tied to the fence at the Doylestown Country Club, where he worked.

Police officers responding to an anonymous call found the dog wounded but still alive.

"The unbelievable cruelty is what jumps out at you," Doylestown Township Police Chief Stephen White said Monday. "To shoot a dog 32 times in the head is obviously gross cruelty. And then to leave the dog laying there suffering is beyond horrible."

Bevan-Xenelis told police he had had adopted the dog from a Chester County-based rescue group about six months ago, White said.

On Monday, a spokeswoman for that rescue group confirmed that Bevan-Xenelis did adopt the dog from them. She said the group was working with authorities on the case, and would prefer not to be identified publicly due to the violent nature of the offense.

She said the group and its volunteers were "devastated" and "heartbroken" over the attack on the dog.

The incident began Friday, July 22. Bevan-Xenelis told police the dog bit one of his co-workers that day.

The next night, he took Kane to the Doylestown Country Club and tied the dog to a fence near a maintenance shed, police said.

He told police he left the dog there that night, but returned Sunday around 5 a.m. and shot the dog. He told police he shot Kane once in the head.

An anonymous tipster called police around 9 a.m. to report a dog alive but in distress tied to a fence.

When police arrived, they found the dog under the fence at the rear of a maintenance building. The dog appared to have fresh wounds to its face and head, they said.

ID tags on the dog identified the owner and gave the dog's name.

Bevan-Xenelis told police he had intended to come back later and bury the dog.

Kane was turned over to the Bucks County SPCA, where he had to be euthanized.

The dog did not carry a county dog license, which eventually led police to charge Bevan-Xenelis additionally with having an unlicensed dog.

Animal cruelty is a misdemeanor in Pennsylvania, White said. If found guilty, Bevan-Xenelis could face a maximum of a $10,000 fine and up to 5 years in jail.

SPCA director Anne Irwin said Monday that the case is a strong one.

"The DA’s office and judges in Bucks County have always taken a strong stance on cruelty to animals," Irwin said. "I have confidence that this is going to be taken seriously in court."