Yorkie Puppy Killed by Boyfriend

A Michigan man fatally injured a 3-month-old Yorkshire Terrier puppy that was trying to protect its female owner from the man's assault.

When the man started choking and punching his girlfriend, the 3-pound puppy began nipping at the man's ankles. The man picked up the dog and severely twisted its neck with his hands. The girlfriend then twice stabbed the man in the right arm with a steak knife.

After the attack, the man initially told police that he fell on the dog. The Yorkie puppy suffered severe bruises on its lungs causing the lungs to fill with blood. The puppy went into respiratory arrest and had to be euthanized.

The man is charged with animal torture, a felony punishable by up to four years in prison in Michigan.

Source: Detroit Free Press 3-31-2009, pet-abuse.com