Man arrested for killing, dismembering neighbor’s dog, police say

WEXFORD TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WILX/Gray News) - A Michigan man has been arrested for killing his neighbor’s dog last month in the snow.

Michigan State Police report that 43-year-old Thomas William Middaugh is facing charges that include killing or torturing animals and for being a habitual offender.

Police said the situation started when they were called to a residence in Wexford Township on Feb. 4 regarding a dog being killed.

The dog’s owner told police that his 7-year-old black lab had wandered off the property that day.

He said he followed the dog’s tracks to an area in the snow where it appeared the animal had circled and stopped but he could not find the dog. Instead, he found a pool of blood and tire tracks.

Investigators said that they found, Middaugh, the man’s neighbor, responsible for the dog’s disappearance and death.

State police said Middaugh shot the dog multiple times with a rifle. He then cut the dog’s head and legs off and wrapped the animal in a tarp before hiding it in a box inside his barn.

Middaugh was taken into custody on Monday with a court date scheduled for March 28.