Puppy clings to life in the Bronx after owner beats her with shovel

nydailynews.com Shocked neighbors watched in horror as a Bronx man kicked and beat his puppy with a shovel, buried her in a snowbank and left her for dead. Witnesses called 911 on Friday and one shocked neighbor even secretly videotaped Raul Cruz, 43, as he beat poor Hennessy with his fists and a shovel outside his home on E. 167th St. near Hall Place a day earlier. The sicko then buried the pup, a brown brindle pit bull mix, in a 2-foot snowbank behind his Longwood apartment. When cops arrived only her snout was visible — yet still she survived. “We had to physically dig her out of the snow,” said Sgt. Derek Mercado, who owns a 6-year-old Shetland sheepdog named Oscar. Mercado was upset by the sight of the wounded pup. “She was crying and she was actually trying to pull herself out as we were digging,” he added. “As soon as we got enough room for her to get out, she popped right out and ran right up to me.” One of several witnesses called 911 early Friday when she heard the dog whimpering.