A Great Falls man is facing two counts of aggravated animal cruelty after he allegedly beat a puppy to death and broke another puppy’s leg after they chewed on his Xbox headset.
The Great Falls Police Department received a call from a woman who stated that her coworker received multiple threatening calls from her boyfriend.
He said “I am going to kill both dogs,” and that she “better get home, your dog isn’t breathing. Probably choked on my headphone cord.”
The boyfriend was angry and said he was going to kill the puppy for chewing on his headphones.
The woman told police that her coworker went home to check on her dog, and rushed him to the vet, where he died.
A receptionist at the vet’s office told Great Falls Animal Control officers that the six-month-old Labrador Pit Bull mix, named Sadie, had blood coming from her ears and nose and appeared lifeless.
An autopsy later revealed that she had broken ribs and a punctured lung, which caused the lung to fill with blood. Vets performed CPR and gave her epinephrine, but was sadly unable to revive her.
The boyfriend who killed the puppy was identified as 26-year-old Austin Corey Pierson.
He explained to investigators that he came home from work to find Sadie chewing on his Xbox headset and he “just got so angry.” He admitted to hitting the puppy with the headset before kicking Sadie in the ribs, but said he felt awful and didn’t mean to hurt her.
Sadly, Sadie wasn’t the only dog who suffered at the hands of Pierson. His girlfriend’s other dog, a five-month-old Shepherd Aussie mix named Cooper, was also at the vet with a broken leg after Pierson hurt him for chewing his headphones as well.
Cascade County Detention Center via Great Falls Tribune
The girlfriend rushed Cooper to Best Friends Animal Hospital, where he underwent surgery for his fracture.
Cooper had also been injured in previous months after Pierson threw him down the stairs for “being too loud.”
Pierson was arrested by the Great Falls Police Department on a $10,000 warrant but has since been released on bond.
