Dog abuse charges

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A disturbing case in Niagara, a couple is facing a number of charges after a dog they owned was allegedly tortured and killed. A post-mortem on the dog was done today.

22-year-old Krystina Paonessa and 31-year-old Jeffery Carlos Tisi are facing animal abuse charges. Police say an American Eskimo died as a result of injuries it suffered last Friday.

Niagara police were called to a hotel in Welland after receiving a complaint about an injured dog. When they arrived police arrested and charged Paonessa and Tisi. Police and Welland SPCA searched the Welland Inn where they found the dog. It was taken to the University of Guelph for examination.

Details on how the dog died have not been released but one source tells CHCH news the dog was mutilated. Panonessa and Tisi have been charged with causing unnecessary suffering to an animal. The pair could face up to 5 years behind bars.

Paonessa is not allowed to be within 25 metres of any animal and must undergo a substance abuse assessment. According to court documents Tisi is known to police, he was charged with assault last March. Tisi is being held in custody and will appear in court tomorrow.