Riverside man who abused puppy in social media videos gets 2 years in prison

A Riverside man who posted videos of himself seriously abusing a puppy, including slitting its throat, to social media accounts will spend two years in federal prison, authorities announced Monday.

Angel Ramos-Corrales, 19, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge John F. Walter after pleading guilty on June 3 to one count of felony animal crushing, according to the U.S. attorney’s office for the Central District of California.

The attack occurred Feb. 13, the same day Riverside police were contacted about a video on Ramos-Corrales’ Snapchat account showing a small, brown dog with its throat cut, prosecutors said.

Ramos-Corrales told investigators that he’d had the dog, named Canelo, for about four or five months and that he bought Canelo from a couple in Apple Valley for $30 off Craigslist, according to court documents.

He said that Canelo was “moody” with him after pooping in his cage and that the dog nipped him, causing him to lose control, according to court documents.

Ramos-Corrales called himself a “cold blooded killer” and said he couldn’t stop himself from hurting the dog, the documents said.

Canelo suffered major injuries, including severe, blunt force head trauma, in addition to having his throat slit, the documents said. He was still breathing when he was examined by a veterinarian, who determined Canelo was about 10 weeks old.

Because of the extent of Canelo’s injuries, he had to be euthanized, court documents said.

Relatives told investigators Ramos-Corrales didn’t have a history of animal abuse, court documents said. His younger sister said Ramos-Corrales was sort of a “poser” and she believed he might have been trying to impress their oldest brother, who was in prison at the time.