23-04-2025
Man jailed after shelter dog 'Cream Cheese' left crippled, put down after foster visit
Texas state troopers arrested a 39-year-old man accused of severely injuring a shelter dog that was later put down.
Mark Norman was booked Tuesday into the Lubbock County Detention Center on a third-degree felony count of cruelty to non-livestock animals causing serious bodily injury.
His bond is set at $100,000, according to jail records.
His charge stems from a Lubbock police investigation that began on Dec. 4 after Lubbock Animal Services assistant director Ashley Riggles called police to report that a client severely injured a 9-month-old Pitbull mix named "Cream Cheese" during a sleepover.
Riggles said the client, later identified as Norman, picked up the dog on Nov. 30 for a sleepover, a service the shelter offers potential adopters, according to a police report.
She said Norman reportedly returned the dog about four days later and she noticed the dog was in pain and unable to stand on its back legs, the report states.
The dog was taken to a veterinarian and x-rays showed both of its hind legs were broken and it would be crippled for life.
Riggles said the dog was put down because it wouldn't be able to properly live, use the bathroom and would require around-the-clock care, the report states.
Meanwhile, Riggles said she spoke to Norman, who reportedly said that on the day he returned the dog, he woke to learn that the dog urinated on his bed, the report states.
Norman reportedly told Riggles that he became angry with the animal and pushed it off the bed, causing her to slide on the floor and into a closet.
However, Norman reportedly told Riggles that the the dog whimpered but was fine, the report states.
Jail records show Norman was arrested at an apartment in the 4200 block of 17th Street.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Lubbock man jailed when shelter dog crippled, put down after sleepover
