Man kills, then cooks family dog

[East Coast Pirate]

Tampa,Florida -- A Tampa man is facing animal cruelty charges after he allegedly killed his family's pet dog, and then cut the animal up for future meals.

Investigators say 25-year-old Thomas Elliot Huggins strangled the young pit bull mix pup on Thursday morning, and then chopped the animal into quarters and put the remains in the freezer.

A family member called police after learning what happened. Arriving officers say they found the dog's ribs cooked in a pot on the stove, and the animal's head was in the garbage.

An investigator with Hillsborough Animal Services tells 10 News that Huggins "expertly" cut the animal apart, and this may not be the first time he's done this. According to his arrest report, Huggins learned how to clean an animal from his mother and had done it in the past with squirrels and rabbits.

More: http://www.wtsp.com/news/watercooler/article/322698/58/Police-Man-kills-then-cooks-family-dog

[LuvNewcastle]

1. Sounds like he'll probably be sent to the mental hospital,

although it does make one ask the question where is the line between animals we can slaughter for food and which ones are prohibited.

[Quantess]

2. Strangling the dog wasn't the most humane way to kill it.

Although I have seen videos of people in China doing far worse to dogs.

[LuvNewcastle]

4. True.

In a way, we sort of have our own classifications for animals we can eat and those we can't, although they're different from the unclean animals in the kosher or halal tradition. We don't allow people to eat dogs or cats, whales, dolphins, or anything endangered. Plenty of others are frowned upon as food sources. Really, we don't want anything for food other than chicken, turkey, beef, pork, lamb, sometimes venison, and several different types of seafood.

[HereSince1628]

3. The reported charges seem to relate to how the animal was killed

rather than the butchering and preparation for food.

It's unclear from the article if FL protects dogs from being killed by their owners generally, or whether the act of strangling was considered inhumane.

[LuvNewcastle]

6. It looks like that would be the basis for the charge, although

as you say, it's unclear. I wonder if they would be able to do anything to him if he'd chopped off the dog's head instead.

[Fuddnik]

5. Unfortunately, down here, the mental hospital

Is the State Legislature.

[LuvNewcastle]

7. It's the same here in Mississippi, and the lunatics

are running the asylum.