MAUD, Texas–A Maud, Texas, man is facing a felony animal cruelty charge in connection with a brindle pit bull puppy that was euthanized earlier this month after suffering broken bones and brain injuries from alleged abuse.
Members of the Bowie County Sheriff’s Office were called to a house in the 300 block of Maple St. in Maud on Sept. 2 by a physically disabled man who said that a family member, Haydon Gray Crawford, 32, had threatened to kill him, according to a probable cause affidavit. The two had argued about a puppy and the disabled man said he was concerned that Crawford had harmed the animal.
Crawford had allegedly thrown the dog into a bathtub and become angry after the dog urinated on itself, the affidavit said.
The responding deputy noted that the puppy’s eyes were red and bloodshot and that it appeared to have a small wound on its head.
At a local animal hospital, veterinary caregivers determined the puppy was in a semi-comatose state and had suffered traumatic brain injuries. The roughly 14-pound pup’s eyes were swollen nearly shut and it had multiple fractures of the right leg. A certified animal cruelty investigator determined the dog’s injuries were the result of abuse, the affidavit said.
The puppy was euthanized Sept. 3.
Crawford was charged with misdemeanor terroristic threatening for the alleged verbal threats to a family member and with felony animal cruelty in the puppy’s death.
If convicted of animal cruelty, Crawford faces two to ten years in prison. He is currently being held in the Bowie County jail with bail set at $30,000.