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Puppy 'Brutally' Beaten; Valrico Man Jailed

By Paul Lamison, WFLA

Chu-Cho was taken to an after-hours emergency veterinary clinic.

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By MIKE WELLS | The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 30, 2007

Photo Gallery: Puppy In Custody

Shortly before 1 a.m. today, a Hillsborough County deputy was patrolling the Brandon area when she saw someone "brutally" attacking a puppy, according to an arrest report.

   Pedro L. Rodriguez

Pedro L. Rodriguez was walking north on a Parsons Avenue sidewalk while holding his black puppy, Chu-Cho, off the ground and repeatedly kicked the animal.

During the next three to five minutes, the 6-month-old puppy's paws touched the ground once, Deputy Tammy Rook states in the report.

She arrested Rodriguez, 24, of Valrico, near Clay Avenue.

Rodriguez told her that Chu-Cho "was his dog and he could do whatever he wanted and that he did it because the dog ran away," Rook wrote.

Chu-Cho was taken to an after-hours emergency veterinary clinic and then transferred to the custody of Hillsborough County Animal Services, said Marti Ryan, a spokeswoman for animal services.

Animal services will petition for permanent custody of the Labrador-mix puppy if the owner does not agree to sign the dog over, Ryan says. An animal abuse investigator will be reviewing whether Rodriguez has other animals at his home.

"Chu-Cho is a young, friendly dog," she said. "It's amazing at how forgiving animals can be under these circumstances."

Rodriguez was being held in Orient Road Jail. Bail had not been set, according to jail records. He faces one third-degree felony count of animal cruelty and possible probation violation.

In April 2006, he pleaded guilty to cocaine possession with intent to sell and was placed on probation for two years, court records show.

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