St. Thomas man accused of killing dog with shovel, burying it in shallow rail-side grave

A 24-year-old St. Thomas man is facing a charge of killing an animal after police say they located a battered, dead dog buried in a shallow rail-side grave earlier this month, the city’s police force said Thursday.

Police said they began their probe on July 3 after receiving a call around 9 p.m. that day after a man was seen walking a limping dog. The man was later seen walking near the CN Rail tracks holding a shovel, police said.

Officers attended the area and located the dog, identified as a female German Shepherd cross, in a shallow grave. The dog appeared to be malnourished and had several fresh trauma wounds to the head. A post-mortem examination conducted by the University of Guelph Animal Health Lab determined the cause of death was acute trauma to the skull.

Police said the dog’s owner had told neighbours the animal had drowned.

As a result of the investigation, police say the unidentified accused was taken into custody Tuesday afternoon and was charged with one count of killing an animal.

He was later released with a future court date and conditions ordering him not to be in possession of any animals or have animals in his care.