WASHINGTON — A Germantown man is facing animal cruelty charges after police say he hit a poodle-mix he was watching for a friend, and knowingly denied the dog medical care.
On Thursday, Montgomery County police arrested 75-year-old Herbert Allen Green following an investigation into animal cruelty that began a month ago.
On April 24, the police department’s Animal Services Division responded to a call about suspected animal cruelty at Green’s Germantown residence, where they found Benji, a small, neutered, male poodle-mix. Benji, who is around 10 years old, was bleeding from the head, lethargic and needed immediate medical attention, said Montgomery County Police Animal Services Division spokesman Thomas Koenig.
Green was taking care of Benji for a friend at the time, Koenig said. The dog’s owner was not involved in the alleged animal abuse, he added.
Officers transported Benji to a veterinary hospital, where he received lifesaving care. A veterinary ophthalmologist found recent trauma had rendered him blind, according to Montgomery County police.
Earlier this month, police interviewed Green, who admitted to striking the dog and not providing him with needed medical care.
Green faces three charges of animal cruelty: cruelly beating an animal, inflicting unnecessary suffering or pain on an animal, and failing to provide an animal with necessary veterinary care, while the animal is in a person’s charge or custody.
Green was released on $2,000 bond.
Benji will be in police custody under the state’s attorney decides he is no longer needed as evidence in this case, Koenig said. The dog may be returned to the owner after that.
