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Orange County man accused of beating puppy to death

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — An Orange County man is facing two animal cruelty charges after deputies said he beat a 17-week-old puppy to death.

Luke Stribling, 20, initially brought the Shiba Inu puppy to the East Orlando Animal Hospital on June 12 with a broken leg.

He told the veterinarian  the animal hurt its leg two days earlier when it got caught between two wooden slats, an Orange County Sheriff’s Office report said.

The veterinarian asked Stribling why he waited two days to bring the dog in for treatment, but Stribling didn’t respond.

The doctor could not immediately identify what caused the leg fractures.

Stribling was told to bring the dog back for follow-up visits.

The report said Stribling told the doctor he noticed the, “Dog had stopped shaking” to which the doctor replied, “The pain medication most likely stopped the shaking”

The doctor filled out a statement to deputies about the visit.

On June 26, Animal Services was called to the Waterford Lakes Animal Clinic after getting a call that a man had beat his puppy to death. The veterinarian there told authorities Stribling had come in with an unresponsive Shiba Inu.

The dog was declared dead at the clinic.

The veterinarian called Animal Services and Stribling admitted to them that he became frustrated and struck the dog multiple times.

X-rays showed fractures on the puppy’s sternum, rib and abdomen. Stribling was later arrested on animal cruelty charges after a necropsy was performed on the dog.