US man accused of strangling, cooking family dog

In a gruesome incident, a 25-year- old man in Florida has been accused of strangling a family puppy, chopping it into pieces and cooking its ribs on the stove.

Thomas Elliot Huggins was arrested on Thursday after a family member called police, US media reports said today.

"When officers arrived, they found the dog's ribs cooked in a pot on the stove," Tampa police said.

"The dog's head was in the garbage," a police official said.

Huggins had strangled the 5- to 6-month-old pit bull and chopped it into quarters, storing pieces in the freezer for future meals, police said.
 

He was arrested on suspicion of animal cruelty and was produced before a judge yesterday. His bond was set to USD 10,000.

"Shock. Total shock," Nickloa Davis, a neighbour of Huggins said.

"I was speechless because the dog was always outside playing," said Davis.

Equally as stunned was John Pisacane, who gave Bandit to Huggins as a gift when his pit bull had a litter of puppies.

Animal control officials took the remains of the dog.