Dog, Puppy Starvation Cases Lead To Arrest Of Waterbury Man: Police

A Waterbury man is accused of starving a dog and three of her puppies, and dumping the dog’s body near a church property in Wolcott early this year.

Wolcott police on Wednesday charged Dayne Punter, 32, with animal cruelty and illegal dumping.

According to police, Punter brought two of the dog’s emaciated puppies to a vet, and one of them survived, but the other had to be euthanized. Another puppy in his care died at home, court documents show.

Wolcott police launched an investigation on Jan. 9 after a deceased dog was found near a popular walking trail entrance and church property on Woodtick Road.

The deceased dog, described as a young, tan-colored pit mix, was severely emaciated and its body was taken to the University of Connecticut for a necropsy, police said.

Officials named the dog “Winter,” though court records show her actual name was “Glo.” According to an arrest warrant affidavit, the dog weighed just 19 pounds, and she should have weighed between 35 and 50 pounds.

Wolcott investigators learned two similar-looking emaciated dogs, both puppies, had been brought to a veterinary hospital in Shelton on Jan. 6.

“Sadly, one of those puppies had to be euthanized, while the other survived,” police said.

DNA testing confirmed the deceased dog in Wolcott was the mother of the two puppies brought to the vet, according to police.

Police determined Punter had brought the puppies in for treatment.

“Initially, he claimed he had found the dogs and was trying to help them,” police said, in an announcement on Facebook Thursday. “However, after multiple interviews, he admitted that he was the owner of all three dogs, that he could not afford to care for them, and that he dumped the deceased dog in Wolcott.”

According to the warrant, there was snow on the ground at the time, but the snow had melted beneath the mother dog’s body, and it is possible the dog was still alive when first placed there, with its residual body heat melting the snow.

The necropsy results for the mother and one puppy revealed a cylindrical obstruction, resembling a corn cob, as well as a black substance consistent with bedding material, according to police.

“These findings were indicative of pica behavior secondary to starvation,” police said.

According to the arrest warrant, the mother dog had a litter of six puppies, and three were given away to another individual, while Punter kept three puppies. One of the puppies in Punter’s care died at home, while the other two were brought to the vet, the warrant shows. Of the mother and three puppies with Punter, only one puppy survived, according to police.

Punter was processed and held on a $100,000 bond for the Wolcott case.

Waterbury police arrested him on an additional warrant and charged him with three counts of animal cruelty, with an additional $100,000 bond.

“This case was not an easy one,” Wolcott police said.

The arrest comes after cooperation involving multiple law enforcement agencies.

“A special thank you to Desmond’s Army Animal Law Advocates for their support, including funding the necropsies and DNA testing,” Wolcott police said. “This case marks the first time this type of DNA technology has been used in an animal cruelty investigation in Connecticut, and it was critical in linking the animals together.”

Desmond’s Army had offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and prosecution.

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Dead, Severely Emaciated Dog Dumped Near Wolcott Church