In Seattle, a 20-year-old man employed by a Ballard kennel pleaded not guilty on Monday to first-degree animal cruelty charges at the King County Superior Court.
The heartbreaking situation occurred on August 3 at the Lazy Dog Crazy Dog boarding facility.
Dejean Cornelius Bowens is accused of kicking and beating a black Labrador retriever named Mitch. The Seattle Police Department’s report indicated Bowens had become angered after Mitch knocked something over prompting Bowens to lose control of his temper and repeatedly kick the dog causing critical internal injuries. Mitch cried out and whimpered, but Bowens seemed to have ignored the dog’s suffering based on the time line between the attack and when the dog was taken to an emergency veterinarian.
The incident occurred about 4:00 a.m. and Mitch was not brought to an emergency veterinarian hospital until 5:45 a.m. By the time Mitch arrived, he was not able to stand, and his abdomen was full of blood. Veterinarians tried five times to revive Mitch with CPR, but he succumbed to his injuries.
Mitch’s heartbroken owners, Anthony and Neela Brocato attended the hearing and are adamant about finding justice for their beloved pup.
The Lazy Dog Crazy Dog issued the following statement on Monday:
The ex-employee was charged today. We have not commented publicly during this process out of respect for the ongoing investigation, but we want to be transparent with our community. We are heartbroken and outraged by what happened. The actions of this former employee are in complete violation of our values, our mission, and the standard of care we’ve upheld for over 16 years while serving tens of thousands of dogs. We continue to support law enforcement and hope that justice is served for the dog.
With heavy hearts,
The Lazy Dog Team
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