Dog dies after snout is taped shut, man charged with animal cruelty
THE COLONY, Texas A Texas man has been arrested after police say he taped the muzzle of his brother's dog shut -- and the dog died. The one-year-old black Labrador retriever -- named Bull -- was euthanized after suffering from heat stroke.
Police say Richard Swift of The Colony -- near Dallas -- taped the dog's muzzle shut last week to stop him from barking so he could sleep.
Swift was arrested two days later on a felony animal cruelty charge. He's free on bond. If convicted, he faces up to two years in jail and a ten-thousand-dollar fine.
An official with the S-P-C-A of Texas tells The Dallas Morning News the taped muzzle kept the dog from panting. Panting allows dogs to cool down, since they don't sweat like humans.
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