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A 20-year-old Seattle man pleaded not guilty to a charge of first-degree animal cruelty on Monday, Oct. 13, stemming from the August death of a 6-year-old dog.
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Dejean Bowens is accused of punching and kicking the dog to death while working at Lazy Dog, Crazy Dog Daycare in Seattle, Washington.
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The dog’s owners called the incident “momentous” while attending Bowens’ arraignment this week.
A Seattle couple is mourning the “momentous” death of their 6-year-old dog Mitch, who authorities say was beaten to death by a kennel employee who became enraged at the dog after the animal knocked over something in early August.
Neela and Anthony Brocato told local KOMO News that their dog’s death was “difficult to relive” after the couple attended the arraignment of Dejean Bowens, their dog’s alleged attacker, when he made his first court appearance on Monday, October 13.
Bowens, 20, was arrested in late September and charged with first-degree animal cruelty, a charge that KOMO says can carry up to five years in prison. Currently under house arrest while awaiting trial, Bowens pleaded not guilty on Monday, according to KOMO, as well as local outlets KING 5 and Fox 13.
Bowens is due back in court in November with a possible trial date set for Dec. 24, according to King County Superior Court records reviewed by PEOPLE.
King County prosecutors argued in court that security footage provided by Lazy Dog, Crazy Dog Daycare showed Bowens punching and kicking Mitch, a black Labrador retriever, while the dog tried to hide under a table, according to King 5.
Prosecutors alleged that Bowens waited nearly an hour before taking the dog to an emergency veterinarian, where medical staff performed CPR for 20 minutes before the dog was declared dead, according to the outlet.
The Brocatos told KOMO that they boarded Mitch at the pound while Neela gave birth to their first child in early August. “We were eager for him to meet his little sister, who was born just three days before he was kicked to death,” Neela told the outlet this week. “So that was something I was looking forward to, and I feel like it robbed us of a lot of the joy that we should have experienced those first days and weeks after our daughter was born.”
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Neela told KOMO that “it was incredibly difficult” for her and her husband to see Bowens in court. “But justice for Mitch is the most important thing,” the new mother said.
She told the outlet that Mitch was “the sweetest, most loving dog and the righteous creature who brought joy to everyone’s life and everyone he touched.”
“This senseless act of violence has been momentous for us,” Neela added.
The Brocatos also told KOMO News they plan to file a lawsuit against Lazy Dog daycare, Crazy Dog. PEOPLE contacted the daycare for comment but did not immediately receive a response on Thursday, October 16.
The Seattle-based kennel denied interviews with other media outlets this week, but shared a statement on Facebook, stating that Bowens “was immediately fired” after the owners learned of the Aug. 3 incident.
“We are heartbroken and outraged by what happened,” the daycare’s statement said.
Read the original article on People