Oregon man accused of kicking 12-week-old puppy, faces animal cruelty charges

Tatum Todd / oregonlive.com (TNS)

A Troutdale man is facing charges of first-degree aggravated animal cruelty and second-degree disorderly conduct after his neighbor recorded a video that appears to show him kicking his 12-week-old puppy.

The incident occurred Monday when Merlyn Christopher Blair, 25, walked Bruno, his Rottweiler-bull terrier mix, onto a patch of grass at his Troutdale apartment complex, court documents say.

According to court documents, Blair allegedly began kicking the dog and throwing him into the air. The neighbor filmed the outburst of violence, in which the pup can be heard crying out in pain. Blair then yanked on the puppy's leash and lifted him into the air by his neck.

The neighbor reported Blair to the company that manages the apartment complex, and Blair began yelling at the neighbor and kicking his door, court records show. The neighbor also videotaped the encounter, court records show.

A Multnomah County Sheriff's deputy responded to an animal cruelty call at 1:50 p.m. and took Blair into custody after viewing the videos.

The deputy allegedly asked Blair how far the puppy would have flown after the kick if it hadn't been on a leash, to which Blair responded “a couple of feet,” according to court documents. Blair told the deputy he kicked the dog because it peed on his foot, court documents say.

The sheriff's office obtained a warrant to turn Bruno over to the care of Multnomah County Animal Services. Deputy John Plock, a sheriff's spokesman, said Bruno was taken to Dove Lewis Animal Hospital for a medical evaluation.

Blair is due to appear in court on Monday.

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