Bellingham man allegedly hit, kicked and stomped his 1-year-old Shepherd mix Maverick
A 55-year-old man reportedly dragged, hit, kicked and stomped on the paw of his 1-year-old Shepherd mix late last month.
Bellingham police cited Robert B. Norman for second-degree animal cruelty on April 25, according to information provided to The Bellingham Herald in an email from Lt. Claudia Murphy.
Officers were called to the 1200 block of East Maple Street at approximately 8:39 p.m. for the report of animal abuse.
Witness told officers that Norman yelled at, dragged, hit and kicked his dog and at one point was seen stomping on the dog’s paw, Murphy reported. A witness intervened, took the dog away from Norman and called 911.
The Whatcom Humane Society took care of the dog to treat an injury, Murphy reported.
Whatcom Humane Society Director Laura Clark told The Herald in an email that the dog’s name is Maverick, that he remains in the care of the Humane Society during the investigation and that he is doing fine.
Despite extra stresses during the coronavirus pandemic, Clark reported the Humane Society has not seen an increase in the number of animal abuse or neglect calls, but added that could change as we move into late spring and summer.
“Usually as the weather warms up, our call volume increases as does the number of overall animals received,” Clark wrote.
This story was originally published May 9, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
