Neighbors call for justice in dog beating death

Neighbors in Whitewater called for justice Friday after a neighborhood dog was fatally beaten with a shovel and tossed into a field.

Update: DA files charges

They said it’s an act of unthinkable animal cruelty.

“I mean there’s just no call for that at all. They’re just poor animals,” one neighbor, John Mino, said.

Rusty, a 3-year-old terrier mix, was part of the community on Kimdale Drive.

Neighbors said they thought of him as family, and are upset by his death.

“And I turn around and came over here, and the neighbors here were outside telling me that the dog was dead,” Eric Wanless, another neighbor, said.

Wanless, who lives across the street from where Rusty was killed, said neighbors saw a man hit Rusty repeatedly over the head with a shovel and dump him in the field behind his house.

Wanless and his wife called the police after finding Rusty in the field covered by brush, clinging to life.

“They went over there and covered him up to keep him warm because we knew he was in shock. His eyeball was popped out of his head. I mean he was bad,” Wanless said.

Warning: The images are graphic but if you would like to see them click here.

Wanless insists there’s no way Rusty would have attacked his killer.

“I mean the dog was harmless, would not harm a fly,” Wanless said.

Neighbors remained with the dog into the night until Riverside County Animal Services arrived.

Rusty was taken to VCA Animal Medical Center in Indio where they worked unsuccessfully to save his life.

Neighbors said they want to see Rusty’s killer behind bars.

“I think he’s got mental issues and I think he should be locked up in a mental institution. And I mean drugs, whatever it takes to get him better, but I don’t think he should be free,” Wanless said.

“They oughta put him in jail, that’s what they oughta do. That will teach him a lesson,” Mino said.

Riverside County Animal Services is investigating. Animal services officials are awaiting necropsy test results, which they said will help strengthen their case and maybe bring Rusty some justice.

John Welsh of Animal Control said it’s very rare these cases end up with jail time.

However, he said he feels they have an extremely strong case.

The Riverside County District Attorney’s office did decide to file charges on Friday, June 19.