The Bizarre Way a Preteen Killed His Family Dog

SAEGERTOWN, Pa. (TheBlaze/AP) — State police plan to charge a 12-year-old northwestern Pennsylvania boy with stealing syringes from a neighbor, which the boy then used to kill the family dog by injecting air into its blood vessels.

The boy apparently knew what injecting the dog with air would do. (Photo credit: Shutterstock)

Trooper Jason Domenick, of Meadville, says the boy's family reported the incident Monday. The boy injected the Labrador mix, which became ill for a week before it died.

Air bubbles in a blood vessel can cause symptoms similar to a heart attack or stroke and police say the Venango Township boy purposely injected the dog knowing what could happen.

“I’ve never heard of anybody doing that,” LeRoy Stearns, executive director of the Crawford County Humane Society, told the Meadville Tribune. “That’s a new one on me. I’m dumbfounded.”

Stearns added that some pet owners do give their animals vaccine booster shots safely, but those are into a fat layer under the skin.

“Anything else should be done by a licensed veterinarian or licensed veterinary technician,” Stearns told the newspaper.

Domenick said the investigation is continuing, but he expects to file charges of theft and cruelty to animals against the boy in Crawford County Juvenile Court.

The boy is not being identified because of his age.