BRUNSWICK, Maine — A Brunswick man who allegedly threw his year-old dog against a wall and abused the pet on two occasions has been charged with felony aggravated cruelty to animals.
Robert LaChance, 29, was issued a criminal summons Friday after the assault of Buddy, his male black Labrador retriever mix, Brunswick police Cmdr. Marc Hagan said Thursday.
“This is the most egregious case of animal abuse I’ve seen in my career,” Hagan said.
Police went to LaChance’s residence on Bath Road the morning of Feb. 28 after receiving reports about the alleged animal abuse, Hagan said. LaChance was not home when police arrived, but officers found him later and began an investigation.
Buddy initially was taken to Coastal Humane Society in Brunswick, where he was found to be suffering from an untreated fracture of a rear leg from another alleged assault the week before.
That leg has since been amputated, Hagan said, and the dog has been moved to another location for treatment after LaChance indicated an interest in retrieving Buddy.
“The dog went around for a week with its leg untreated,” Hagan said.
Dr. Mandy Wehr, the veterinarian who treated Buddy at Coastal Humane Society, said Thursday that Buddy’s prognosis is good despite his injuries and the trauma he’s experienced.
“At the point he came to us, he was not in good condition and was in a lot of pain and suffering from that broken leg,” she said.
Wehr amputated Buddy’s leg the next day.
“We won’t be pursuing a prosthetic [leg], but a week out from the surgery, he’s doing well,” she said. “As we get to know him, we’re starting to see other evidence of anxiety and stress, and we’ll be working with him on those so he can be a little more secure before we seek a permanent home situation. … [Dogs] absolutely can recover from post-traumatic stress the same way people can, but to some degree it’s never going to go away completely for him.”
The humane society will likely pursue a private adoption, she said, to allow them to find a new owner who will be home much of the time and not leave Buddy alone.
Hagan said the charge was elevated to a felony because LaChance showed depraved indifference to the animal’s life or suffering.
LaChance is scheduled to appear in Cumberland County Court in Portland on May 17.