A Clarksville police officer overheard intense yelling inside a mobile home on Walnut Street early Tuesday morning, and as he followed the sound, he heard yelps. When he entered the home, he found a 3-month-old puppy, abused so badly it couldn't move.
"The man who was arrested actually kicked the puppy right in front of police and proceeded to pick up the puppy, and throw it into a window," said Montgomery County Animal Care and Control Director Jeanette Farrell.
Officers rescued the dog named Lily, who is now recovering at a local vets office with a splint on her front leg
However, Farrell said it's no coincidence Lily's story started with domestic violence.
"That's where domestically violent individuals start," Farrell said. "They start with the weakest, which is the animal, and then they move up to the children and then they'll move up to wife battering. There's a strong correlation between animal abuse and children abuse."
That correlation is so strong, the FBI will require all animal abuse cases to be entered into a national database by 2021 to track those statistics.
For now, Lily will remain in protective custody for ten days. If her owners are not able to pay for the vet and care bills that will add up over that time, Lily will go up for adoption.
