Adelanto man accused of throwing puppy against doghouse

An Adelanto dog owner has been arrested, accused of repeatedly throwing a puppy against a doghouse while drunk, San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department officials said.

On Sunday night, after hearing yelps from the 12-pound pit bull-Labrador mix, neighbors confronted the puppy’s owner, Donald Brown, said sheriff’s spokeswoman Staci Johnson.

When Brown, who appeared intoxicated, didn’t stop throwing the puppy, his neighbors called police, Johnson said.

“Brown was throwing the puppy in the doghouse with enough force to move the house,” Johnson said. “He did this numerous times, and between each throw, hit the dog on the head causing it to yelp.”

Brown, 55, was arrested Sunday night and booked for investigation of animal cruelty and being drunk in public. He is being held at West Valley Detention Center with his bail set at $30,000.

Johnson said authorities don’t know why Brown was angry at the 3-month-old puppy, which is now in the care of the Adelanto Animal Control Division.

francisco.varaorta@latimes.com