Pa. man charged with stabbing his dog

A Monroe County man has been charged with animal cruelty after he allegedly bashed his dog in the head with a hammer and stabbed her.

Brandon Cramer, of Saylorsburg, was charged with a misdemeanor count of animal cruelty and failure to get veterinary care. PSPCA investigators, acting on a tip, found a severely injured dog on his property Feb. 12, PSPCA spokeswoman Gillian Kocher said.

Agents took the dog, a female mastiff named Michaella, to a veterinary hospital for treatment and removed two other dogs and two puppies from the home, Kocher said.

Michaella is still in recovery, she added.

"She is eating on her own," Kocher said, "but she will need skin grafts and may lose a leg."

One of the uninjured dogs that was rescued, Mordecai, already has been adopted in Philadelphia, Kocher said.

"The Pennsylvania SPCA cannot stand for acts of outright cruelty toward animals as evidenced by the acts of the individual involved here," the group's CEO Jerry Buckley said. "We are grateful to the veterinary staff's quick response and dedication to Michaella's care."

To report animal abuse, call the PSPCA's cruelty hotline: (866) 601-SPCA.