Man charged with killing dog

A 27-year-old Aberdeen man has been charged with animal cruelty in the first degree for the brutal killing of his family’s dog.

Acting Prosecutor Gerald Fuller says John T. Robinson is accused of using a railroad stake and tying the dog up to die. And when that didn’t kill the dog, Robinson allegedly brutally beat the dog.

Robinson told Aberdeen detectives that the dog had asked him to kill him. The charging papers state that Robinson’s family described the man as “schizophrenic,” and the man’s mother had gone to stay in Ocean Shores because he “was acting strangely and making delusional statements, which scared her so she immediately left.”

Robinson allegedly led Aberdeen police officers to the dog’s body near the railroad tracks on Port Industrial Road.

“The dog was found lying on its right side with his legs stiffly straightened out,” the charging documents state. “There was a long metallic item with a wooden handle sticking out of the top of the dog’s left side. The officer observed that the dog appeared to have been stabbed several times. … The officer could observe a slight amount of frothy blood coming from the dog’s lower jaw consistent with a punctured lung. … The dog was tied with a short rope to a black harness, which was attached to a fence post. The dog had struggled against the harness pulling back and was able to get one of his front legs out of the harness before he collapsed. A retractable walking leash was lying nearby with the frayed end hanging over the fence post. The other end was still attached to the D-ring on the dog’s harness. It appeared that the dog had either chewed through or broken the leash before being hooked up with the white rope to the fence post. A four-by-four wooden post was nearby. Officers observed blood smears on the post.”

A veterinarian confirmed the dog died from its injuries, including a punctured lung and skull fractures.

The dog was a grown boxer named “Duncan.” Bail for was set for $10,000.