Man faces felony charge for abusing puppy

By: Iris St. Meran

A Syracuse man is facing a felony charge for abusing his puppy. He was arrested after neighbors alerted authorities when they observed the abuse taking place. The puppy, a 10-week old pit bull, is now recovering from internal injuries. Our Iris St. Meran joins from the newsroom with the details of this case.

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SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Central New York SPCA Executive Director Paul Morgan says neighbors did the right thing by calling police when they witnessed the abuse of an animal on January 28th.

Morgan said witnesses observed Charles Robinson, Jr outside his home at 123 Polk Street in Syracuse, grabbing the 10-week-old pit bull by the neck and punching it.

The 53-year-old was charged with misdemeanor animal cruelty and he was issued an appearance ticket to be arraigned. The dog was taken to the SPCA.

After further evaluation of the dog's condition, Robinson was also charged with a felony. The staff noticed the dog had other injuries and a vet determined they were caused from trauma.

Morgan said, "... there was internal bleeding, there was bruising on the neck area of the puppy; bruising on the stomach area of the puppy. There was fluid in the lungs and blood in the urine."

Robinson was taken to the Justice Center on Friday, February 3rd. The dog is currently in a rescue home and is said to be doing better.

If you observe animal cruelty you can call the local police or the CNY SPCA at (315) 454-3469.