George Gooch Ash, 39, was charged with two aggravated cruelty to animal charges and two misdemeanor animal cruelty charges in the deaths of his dogs, Blake, and Shyla.
Authorities allege he stabbed to death his two dogs because he was angry following a visit with his mother in a nursing home.
Newtown Township police, who filed charges jointly with the Bucks County SPCA, responded to the Ash home on Essex Place on Jan. 18 after Ash called 911, telling dispatchers he stabbed his dogs.
Ash told authorities he stabbed the animals because he was angry at his mother because he felt she belittled him during his visit to her nursing home and he took it out on the dogs, according to the affidavit of probable cause.
Ash kicked and beat his dogs for hours then took a paring knife and used it to stab first Blake, a 7-year-old Beagle-Lab mix, with such force the blade broke off in his torso, the affidavit said. A portion of the blade was later recovered in a necropsy, the animal equivalent of a human autopsy.
After the first knife broke, Ash allegedly took an 8-inch chef's knife and used it to stab Blake and Shyla, a 9-year-old Beagle-Collie mix, an act that he told police took 20 minutes, Schorn said. Police found the dead dogs lying next to each other.
After killing his dogs, Ash told police he stabbed himself "a few times," but Schorn called his wounds superficial.
Authorities described finding pools of blood throughout the first floor of the home including on the dog bed and couch. Ash had visible dark red stains on his clothing when police arrived and they found bloody balled up paper towels near the kitchen sink, the affidavit said.
"The scene in this case was gruesome," Bucks County District Attorney Jennifer Schorn said.
Ash has not been arraigned on the charges yet, but he is in a secure location, Schorn said, declining to disclose where.
Newtown man charged with stabbing, killing family dogs: Bucks County DA. Why he did it
The man told police he was angry with his mother and took it out on his dogs. He now faces felony charges for killing the animals.
I don't care if he is mentally ill or just slow he should be banned from owning any companion or service animal indefinitely.
