Jun 1, 2010
Dog killed before teen's eyes
WELLINGTON (New Zealand) - NEW ZEALAND police were hunting on Tuesday for a burglar who choked a family's pet dog to death in front of a teenager after it tried to defend the home during a break-in. The masked intruder strangled the 4-year-old boxer with its own leash when the dog named Troy tried to drive off the robber in the southern city of Christchurch on South Island, house owner Fern Gaber said. Her son, Tyler Corbett-Gaber, 13, was home ill and asleep in his room when the man broke into the home through a window on Friday, she told the Christchurch Press newspaper.
The burglar struggled with Troy and in the chaos the dog's leash fell from a cupboard onto the floor, Mrs Gaber said. The man wrapped it around the dog's neck and choked the pet in front of the teenager. 'Tyler was shouting at him to 'leave the dog alone, leave the dog alone,'' Mrs Gaber told the paper. The dog collapsed and the intruder fled out the bathroom window, she said. 'Tyler just went and hugged Troy and said, 'Hold on buddy, hold on buddy,' and Troy just looked at him and stopped breathing,' she was quoted saying. Christchurch South police Acting Sergeant Andrew Savage said officials wanted to hear from anyone who saw the intruder fleeing the scene. -- AP
