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Man Accused Of Burying Ex-Girlfriend's Dog Alive Because It Fought With His New Kitten
Richard Piquard faces animal cruelty charges in the death of an 18-year-old Shih Tzu named Chico.
A man in Massachusetts allegedly buried a dog alive because it wasn't getting along with his new kitten.
Richard Piquard, 24, from Whitinsville, had been watching his ex-girlfriend's 18-year-old Shih Tzu, named Chico, for about 18 months, according to the Telegram & Gazette. The ex couldn't keep Chico in her new apartment, and Piquard had reportedly asked her to take the dog back numerous times.
The dog was buried somewhere behind Piquard's house, Northbridge Police Chief Walter J. Warchol told the Telegram
“Even in my 41 years here, I’ve never seen anything like it,” he told the paper. “We’ve seen other forms of animal cruelty. Burying something alive is a little beyond the reach.”
Around 6 a.m. on Sunday, Piquard's ex-girlfriend, Kaylee Belanger, got a text from him saying Chico had passed away, according to WFXT in Boston. She said she immediately became suspicious.
"Something in my gut was telling me something was wrong, that he just wasn't telling me the truth," she told the station.
She said Piquard had recently told her Chico and his new kitten weren't getting along. Belanger and her fiancé rushed to the woods behind Piquard's house where she found a pile of freshly laid dirt, she said.
"I lifted up the rock and there he was underneath. I lost all emotions," she said. "I was freaking out, turned around to grab the blanket to pick him up and my fiancé shouted 'He's alive. He's breathing,'" she said.
Chico was barely alive though, as he couldn't move his head or even stand up, she said.
"He was extremely malnourished," Belanger said, according to the New England Cable News. "He was dehydrated. He had anemia from flea infestation."
Chico was also suffering from some internal injuries.
Belanger rushed him to the vet, where he was stabilized, but ultimately, he was euthanized.
"I just don't understand how somebody can do that to an animal and then go home and go to sleep at night snuggling their new kitten," Belanger said.
Northbridge Police arrested Piquard and charged him with animal cruelty. He was released on a $1,000 bail. His next court appearance is this week.
[Photo: Northbridge Police Department]
