Owner of Dog Who Was Killed: 'Thank You For Letting Me Love You'

EAST HAMPTON, NY — The heartbroken owner of a 4-year old Cockapoo, Simba, who was brutally choked and repeatedly stabbed and killed in East Hampton Sunday, has written a message of love to the dog she said meant everything to their family.

"To my beautiful Simba," wrote Stephanie Yanes of East Hampton: "I’m sorry I wasn’t there to protect you. I’m sorry that you were so innocent to realize the evils in this world but God has gained another angel and now we must let you go."

Simba, Yanes explained, was a girl; she was named "Simba" because her family loved the name so much.

"Thank you for being my pillow to cry on. Thank you for letting me love you. Thank you for annoying me for food under the table. Thank you for making me run down the street to catch you. Thank you for always being the first to greet me when I came home. Thank you for teaching me how to love another dog again. Thank you for keeping my parents company when my sister and I left," she wrote. "Thank you for protecting our chickens. Thank you for making a house with pieces of furniture feel like home."

Yanes' heartbroken message of love continued: "There is so much I can thank you for but I never knew a white ball of fur would become some a huge part of my life and no one can ever understand the love our family gave you. Although we weren’t the richest, and we may not have had the biggest house, you always gave us the most love and were always by our side, no matter what. I can’t explain the pain that is running through my body right now but I can tell you that Simba always had the energy to keep us happy, she always put us first — she is what completed our family," she said.

A Springs man choked and repeatedly stabbed Simba to death, then dumped her badly mutilated body, police said.

According to East Hampton Town Police, Jose J. Galvez-Garcia, 21, removed Simba, from a relative's property in East Hampton Sunday before driving to a secluded, wooded area near the end of Breeze Hill Rd.,where he repeatedly choked and stabbed the dog to death before leaving her body 50' from the road.

Galvez-Garcia told investigators he killed the dog because he was "angry with the way he had been treated by a family member who owned the dog," police said.

Simba's body was discovered Monday by one of his owners, who had been searching for the dog since she went missing Sunday, police said; authorities were then notified.

Galvez-Garcia was arrested and charged with aggravated cruelty to animals, a felony, police said. He was held overnight pending arraignment on Tuesday, police said.

Detectives are asking anyone with information contact East Hampton Town Police at 631-537-7575. All calls will be kept confidential.

Speaking out to Patch after the tragedy, Yanes said she wants to remain strong, for her beloved Simba to help other animals being mistreated.

"I want people to know that she was loved," Yanes said. "She just wasn’t a dog — she was the glue that kept our family together."

Patch photos courtesy Stephanie Yanes.