Decorah Iowa man, Douglas Usgaard hacks relative’s Labradoodle and Shih Tzu pet dogs to death with axe. No known motive as he is charged with two counts of animal torture.
An Iowa man has been arrested after using an axe to hack to death his elderly relative’s Labradoodle and Shih Tzu dogs.
Douglas Usgaard, 21, was taken into custody on Saturday after killing his relative’s 14-year-old Labradoodle, Trina, and 13-year-old Shi Tzu-bichon mix, Maz.
Usgaard was charged with two counts of animal torture according to Winneshiek County court records cited by desmoinregister. Records indicated the man pleading not guilty.
Usgaard was staying with relatives in Decarah, Iowa, at the time KCRG reported.
Authorities have yet to say what motivated the man to carry out the attack against the dogs and or whether they were targeted because of an ‘issue’ with the dog’s owner?
It is unclear what his relation to the dog owners is. It is also not known what he does for work, if anything. Also unclear is how he came to stay at the relative’s home and how long he had been there and whether he may have been recently asked to leave.
History of miscellaneous crimes, including theft and drugs possession.
Usgaard was already on bond for stealing two iPhones from a football stadium in July when he committed the attack on the animals. He had been scheduled for trial in November for that case.
He is being held without bail after violating the terms of his probation from the previous crime.
In 2015, he was also arrested after being found driving under the influence of marijuana and other drugs during a routine traffic stop in early morning hours.
Usgaard remains in county jail, awaiting his next court appearance.
