Coupeville man accused of beating, shooting dog for killing chickens

COUPLEVILLE, Wash. – A 36-year-old Coupeville man was arrested Sunday after Island County sheriff’s deputies said he beat a dog with a pickax before shooting it.

The man was booked for first-degree animal cruelty, second-degree malicious mischief and unlawful possession of a firearm, but Q13 News isn’t naming him because he hasn’t yet been formally charged.

Deputies responded to a call Sunday afternoon that a man was beating a dog with a shovel in the 900 block of Gainsburough Rd. Soon after, they got another that the man had shot the dog.

When they arrived, the found out the dog had killed a neighbor’s chickens. The suspect followed the dog back from the neighbor’s house, deputies said, then beat it with what turned out to be a pickax before killing it with a .22 rifle.

The man’s first court appearance was scheduled for Monday afternoon.