10-pound dog was recovering in a Cape Coral animal hospital Thursday, a day after police say its owner dragged it behind a car with a leash for nearly a third of a mile. 
Cape police charged Jeffrey Candler, 49, of 2113 N.E. 33rd St., with one count of animal cruelty. He was being held on a $25,000 bond late Thursday at Lee County Jail.
Candler was arrested in February 2004 on charges he failed to register as a sex offender, jail records show.
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According to police reports, Candler showed no remorse for the female Chihuahua mix named Shawney when he was questioned and had been drinking alcohol, which may have contributed to the incident.
The man's son Thursday called the whole incident a "huge mistake."
(an unremorseful "excuse")
Typically, animal cruelty is a first-degree misdemeanor, but depending on the circumstances, it could be elevated to a third-degree felony, said state's attorney spokeswoman Chere Avery. Prosecutors are reviewing the case against Candler, she said. Maximum fines could range from $5,000 to $10,000 with possible jail time.
Shawney is being treated at Viscaya-Prado Veterinary Hospital, 920 Country Club Blvd., and is expected to be there at least a week.
The dog suffered a broken front right leg and major wounds around its body, the skin on the paws peeled away, and some claws were missing. (see above photo)
The animal received intravenous antibiotics and fluids and pain medicine Thursday, said Dr. Lisa Gote, a veterinarian who has been caring for the animal.
"She's got multiple road burns where her skin is peeled off," said Gote. "She had gravel stuck in the wounds that we had to pull out."
Vets planned to take more tests and X-rays on Thursday. Gote said she was concerned the dog may have suffered a broken jaw because there is a wound on her chin, but officials at the clinic later said there were no other broken bones.
Shawney is expected to recover with the proper care, but it will be a long, painful road back to health, Gote said.
Robert Keating and his wife, Arlene, saw the suspect driving a white sedan south on Santa Barbara Boulevard near Wilmington Parkway while the dog was tied to the back bumper with a leash. When the car turned onto Jacaranda Parkway about a third of a mile away, the dog snapped loose from the vehicle, they said.
Robert Keating, 61, dropped his wife off to tend to the dog, which was lying in a small puddle of blood with labored breathing.
He drove up to get a license plate number of the offending vehicle. The Keatings then told police about the incident and took the injured animal to the veterinary hospital, where Arlene Keating works as a part-time receptionist.
"We were kind of startled," said Robert Keating, a retired police officer from Suffolk County, N.Y. "It looked like a little puppy was following behind a car. We noticed the dog was kind of bouncing in the road," Keating said.
When officers confronted him at his home, Candler first said he tied the dog to the bumper while he went fishing, and when he came back, the dog was gone, said police spokeswoman Dyan Zedeker.
Candler said he was making fliers for the missing dog for two hours, police officials said. But when the officer asked to see one of them, Candler went to his computer, opened up a file and typed "lost dog," according to Zedeker.
Candler then changed his story (several times) but then said it was an accident, police officials said.
Candler's son, Nathan Candler, 17, said he was fishing with his father. He said they tied the dog to the bumper of the car "so she could have some shade" and later drove away with the dog still tied to the car. (yet another "version" of the story)Please sign this petition and forward to your friends thank you!
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/256292352
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