A Brownsville family is mourning the death of their beloved American bulldog after it was brutally attacked by a man armed with a knife.
Cameron County Sheriff’s Department deputies arrested Juan Rodriguez Rodriguez, 53, and charged him with the causing the dog’s death.
The incident occurred Sunday, July 17 at the 6300 block of Tecate Drive, on the east side of Brownsville.
Video provided to The Brownsville Herald and the Cameron County Sheriff’s Department shows a man chasing and stabbing “Pandora” the bulldog. In the video, the dog is lying on its side as it is being attacked and could be heard whimpering. Another dog can be heard barking in the background.
Rodriguez Rodriguez is charged with one count of cruelty to non-livestock animal, according to the Cameron County Sheriff’s Department.
Under the Texas Penal Code, a person found guilty of cruelty to non-livestock animal can be sentenced anywhere from 2 to 10 years in state prison and be fined up to $10,000.
According to sheriff’s department, Pandora’s owner contacted the department and told authorities his dog had been stabbed. The owner wrote online Thursday that the dog was “stabbed to death due to puncture wounds located on the chest and neck.”
Pandora has belonged to the family for years and the owner considered the canine as a daughter to him, said Tony Lopez, a member of Brownsville Animal Defense. “He has had the dog longer than he has had his son,” Lopez added.
Although the family had contacted law enforcement about the attack, a friend of the dog’s owner contacted Lopez because he feared nothing would be done to the individual who attacked and killed his dog, Lopez said.
The family had been playing with Pandora that Sunday afternoon and left Pandora outside for about 20 to 30 minutes, Lopez said. The dog had gotten out from its yard, and it’s believed this is when Rodriguez and the bulldog came into contact.
“They went out looking for the dog and found it dead a couple of houses down the road,” Lopez said.
Lopez said someone who witness the attack told the family: “The man down there stabbed him.”
Authorities arrested Rodriguez Wednesday, and the suspect remained jailed Thursday morning.
Pandora’s owner established a Justice for Pandora Facebook Page following the pet’s killing.
The owner wrote on that page: “Pandora was brutally murdered in broad-day light on 7/17/2022 without any reason or warning. This page is to honor Pandora, share her story and make sure Justice is Served. This page does NOT condone violence, retaliation or harm to anyone!”
He wrote, “She was a amazing dog super easy to love, always wanted to play never really had any sad moments or bad moments with her. She wasn’t just a pet she was my daughter. I watched her grow up since she was a puppy before Kendrick my oldest son was born.”
