BOCA RATON, Fla. – A Palm Beach County man was arrested after deputies said he was seen dragging a dog behind his pickup truck.
A witness called police earlier this month and said he saw a red Toyota Tacoma dragging a white dog, which was tied to the pickup, eastbound on Lantana Road.
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The witness said the dog was spinning on its side as its “flesh scraped along the roadway.”
The witness said several drivers honked and flashed their lights at the pickup truck to try to get the driver’s attention.
When the truck stopped at a light, the witness and another driver said they knocked on the truck’s door and told the driver about the dog.
They said the driver got out, put the dog in the bed of the truck and said, “the dog will be ok.”
The witness was able to take a picture of the incident, which captured the truck’s license plate.
Deputies conducted a record check of the tag number and tracked down Lisandro Arellano, 45, at his home in Lantana.
During questioning, Arellano said his brother had given him a white French bulldog named Blanca, and said, “Blanca fell out of the truck, and he was treating her wounds.”
Detectives said they then found the dog laying on a bloody sheet in the house.
Arellano was asked if he sought medical treatment for Blanca, and deputies said he replied, “No.”
Arellano was arrested on Monday and charged with aggravated animal cruelty and cruelty to animals.
He was booked into the Palm Beach County jail.
Blanca was transported to Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control for treatment.
Veterinarians said she suffered several bad abrasions to her skin, but that she should recover.