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Men beat Longwood family's dog with golf club during burglary

LONGWOOD, Fla. — The Seminole County Sheriff’s Office is asking the public for help in identifying two people who burglarized a Longwood home and hurt the family’s dog.

The incident happened Nov. 30 at 12:30 p.m. at a home along Beach Avenue, authorities said.

Deputies said they found the rear patio door had been smashed, and jewelry and electronics had been stolen.

When the homeowners returned, they said their 3-year-old pit bull, Lilly, was missing.

The family had set up the webcam to check in on Lilly throughout the day, but it caught the burglars in the act instead.

The camera was pointed at a bedroom and captured the robbery and animal abuse.  Through the doorway, video shows one of the suspects swing around a golf club.

The first man walks by the camera in a blur, but the second walks out, looks directly at the camera, and then appears to yank it off the wall.

The crooks stole jewelry and electronics, but apparently the theft was not enough.

“The most disturbing part is what they did to the dog,” said Seminole County Sheriff’s Office PIO Kim Cannady.

Both men used the golf club to beat the family's 3-year-old pit bull named Lilly, leaving the dog covered in welts.

“We are really hoping that the video that was taken is enough to have somebody call and clue us in as to who these people can be,” said Cannady.

After the abuse, Lilly escaped through the broken glass door the suspects used to get in and out of the house and managed to limp back home the next morning.  She was checked out by a veterinarian and is expected to be OK.

The suspects are black men who appear to be in their 20s or 30s.  One was wearing a gray Nike sweatshirt and the other was wearing a blue flannel shirt. Both had short hair and beards.

Anyone with information is urged to call CrimeLine at 800-423-TIPS or the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office at 407-665-6650.

If caught, the men could face charges of burglary, grand theft and animal abuse.