11-Year-Old Boy Accused Of Beating Dog To Death With Stick In Texas

An 11-year-old boy is under investigation in Fort Worth, Texas, after a dog was found beaten to death.

The dog, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel mix named Cookie, was discovered dead on Monday, KXAS-TV reports. Owner Jennifer Knittel says Cookie and her other dog, a German Shepherd named Sam, had been playing outdoors before the alleged incident.

According to WFAA-TV, a witness told Fort Worth police that she had been driving through the neighborhood when she spotted a boy attempting to kick the two dogs, who were hiding under a parked truck. The witness says she returned a few minutes later, and saw Cookie’s limp body “slumped” on a neighbor's porch.

"The boy was walking away from the porch with a big stick in his hand," the woman was quoted as saying, per Knittel.

Posted by Jennifer Johnson Knittel on Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Knittel says she believes the boy, who has not been identified, unlatched her gate and lured the dogs out before beating Cookie to death with the stick. The dog’s necropsy showed a fractured skull and a severed spine, per KXAS-TV.

The boy reportedly told police that Cookie attacked him -- a claim Knittel strongly disputes.

“I don’t think we’ve ever heard Cookie even growl. So for someone to attack Cookie -- it doesn’t make any sense to me,” Knittel told KTVT. “My dog was not aggressive. The little boy has no scratches or marks of any kind on him.”

The boy may face felony charges, the news outlet reports.