Puppy Dies, Man Arrested For Animal Cruelty: Napa County Sheriff

NAPA, CA — A Livermore man was arrested on suspicion of felony animal cruelty after an injured puppy was found in his vehicle Saturday, Napa County sheriff's officials said. Deputies responded around 1:10 p.m. to a report of a suspicious circumstance at Silverado Trail and Oakville Cross Road, sheriff's office spokesman Henry Wofford said.

A caller reported a man with blood on him appeared to be dazed when he got out of his vehicle on the Silverado Trail, Wofford said.

A responding deputy contacted a man who appeared confused sitting in a courtyard nearby. The man allegedly said he just broke up with his girlfriend and he shot a dog. An injured four-month-old Springerdoodle that appeared dead was found inside the man's vehicle, Wofford said.

An animal service officer took the puppy to Silverado Veterinary Hospital in Napa where it died. A dog's tooth also was found, but there is no mention of a gunshot wound on the dog's body in the sheriff's office's report of the incident, Wofford said.

The sheriff's office arrested Michael Anthony Parziale, 37, of Livermore on suspicion of felony animal cruelty. Parziale was booked in the Napa County jail, Wofford said.

By Bay City News Service

Image via Napa County Sheriff's Office