This story contains details that may be disturbing to some readers.
An Owen Sound homeowner came home on Wednesday to make a gruesome discovery.
Dean Martin says he arrived home to find his dog violently beaten in what appears to be a random break and enter.
“The kitchen was covered in blood,” he says.
He found his 13-year-old chocolate lab, Gus, in the backyard, severely hurt.
The family says he was covered in blood and gashes.
“I thought, ‘My God, it’s not Gus, it’s a different dog,’” Martin remembers with tears.
Owen Sound police say the dog suffered wounds caused by blows to its head and body. A blood-stained axe was reportedly found in the kitchen.
Martin says he thought all of his animals, five cats and two dogs, had been killed.
Gus had to be put down from its injuries.
“Why would anyone break in and cause all that, and why would anyone hurt Gus?” wonders Candace Dean. “He was 96 pounds of happy.”
Shortly after, police say they were called for a report of an injured man at another address on the west side of the city.
It’s believed that he is responsible for the break-in and attack.
The 23 year old, who police have not identified, is charged with break and enter, trespassing and cruelty to animals.
“It’s never going to be the same,” Martin says.
There’s no known connection between the suspect and the victims.
The family is relieved that their other dog and their five cats were not hurt, but says they don’t feel safe in their home.
They’ve been staying in a hotel while their house is cleaned up.
