Man Fed Pit Bull Liquor To Ease Dog's Broken Leg Pain

RACINE, WI — A Racine man was arrested after police said he fed his dog liquor and considered clubbing him over the head to ease the misery of his dog's broken leg.

On June 7, Racine police officers responded to a home on the 1800 block of Franklin St. in Racine on a report that Lawrence Linker was not caring for his dog that suffered a broken leg.

Upon the arrival of police, an officer met with a witness who stated that Linker waved him down when he was passing by his house. The witness told police that Linker explained to him that his pitbull "Kyle" had fallen through his back porch step and broke his leg, Linker's criminal complaint said.

According to the criminal complaint, the witness went on to tell police that Linker said the broken leg was giving the dog considerable pain and that he was giving Kyle liquor for the pain and was thinking of hitting Kyle over the head to "make him go to sleep," stating that he did not want to take the dog to the vet.

His criminal complaint stated that officers tried to make contact with Linker in the houme, but were not able to make contact with him. A woman who exited the home talked with the police, stating that Linker did not want to come out because he had a warrant out for his arrest. When police asked her how the dog was, she said the dog was laying on the floor, moaning.

The next day, officers executed a special inspection warrant and ound Linker hiding in the basement. He surrendered both his dogs, Kyle and Bolt to the officer, but stated he takes care of them and gives Kyle pain reliever for his foot, police said.

Linker's criminal comlaint stated that when police looked at Kyle, they noticed that the dog was dirty and had a large wound on his right front paw. Linker told police that a nail went through Kyle's paw when he fell through the porch stairs. An investigation of the house revealed that Linker's property had feces and urine on the floor, one bowl with some food in it, and one pot with water.

Linker has been charged with two counts of animal mistreatment - a misdemeanor.

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