Police: Tennessee man throws mom’s Shih Tzu in trash compactor

A Nashville, Tennessee, man was arrested Tuesday afternoon for supposedly throwing his mother’s Shih Tzu into a trash compactor last month.

Arbor Hills Apartments’ surveillance cameras allegedly captured Terrence Clark, 27, drive up, retrieve the dog from the back seat, put it in a plastic bag, and place it into a trash compactor. The 27-year-old was also seen pushing the compactor button four times before driving away, according to WKRN.

The Antioch Patch reported that a resident heard the dog whimpering and called 911. Though firefighters with the Nashville Fire Department were able to locate the Shih Tzu and rush it to a veterinarian, the pup died from its injuries four days later.

Terrence Clark mugshot
Terrence Clark [Photo: Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD)]

Investigators determined the dog belonged to Clark’s mother. Clark was charged with aggravated animal cruelty for the February 21 incident. The 27-year-old is jailed on a $65,000 bond.

Unfortunately, stories like these are anything but rare.

In June, two Colorado women found a gravely injured dog in a trash compactor. According to WSET, the women were discarding garbage at an Amherst waste center when they heard the pup’s cries.

Went to Coolwell dump today! People standing around digging out a dog in a small cat carrier that was thrown into the…

Posted by Rebecca F Bryant on Monday, June 20, 2016

“She finally got a hold of the carrier and said ‘OMG it is in a carrier’ and pulled it out and handed it to me,” witness Rebecca Bryant told the station. “His hair was matted from his hip all the way down to his legs. His tail was matted. The eyes were black and full of gook.”

The canine—who was blind, deaf, and severely malnourished—was later euthanized. Authorities said there were no cameras at the site to help identify the culprit.