ST. ALBANS, Maine — A central Maine man was arrested and charged with domestic violence assault and aggravated cruelty to animals after deputies say he attacked a bulldog with a sword as the dog tried to defend the man’s wife during a domestic assault.
The Somerset County Sheriff’s Office said that just after 8 p.m. Saturday, deputies responded to a home at Todds Corner Road in St. Albans. Deputies said an investigation revealed that Bruce Bennett, 33, assaulted his wife and that the family bulldog, named Malakai, defended Bennett’s wife. Deputies said Bennett then attacked the dog with a sword that was about 2 ½ feet long.
Deputies took the bulldog to Meadow Wood Animal Clinic in Cornville where Dr. Michael Wing took care of the dog. The sheriff’s office said it took about two hours to suture the wounds, which are described as severe and near the head area.
Bennett’s domestic violence assault charge was upgraded to a felony because of a past conviction for domestic violence, the sheriff’s office said.
Bennett was at the Somerset County Jail on a probation hold on Monday.