Shih Tzu dog
Long Island man arrested for allegedly biting his parents' dog and grievously injuring her eye in the process - Representational image Reuters

In a highly unusual case, a Long Island man has been arrested for allegedly biting his parents' dog and pulling out the animal's eye in the process. However, it is not immediately clear what prompted the young man's gruesome attack.

Aaron Kluger was arrested on Saturday, 2 December, and has been charged with torturing and injuring an animal, a misdemeanour offence. The 20-year-old was taken into custody after the incident, which took place last month, when a family member informed local Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) detectives.

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According to the New York Daily News, Kluger had bitten the three-year-old Shih Tzu on the head so viciously on 6 November, he removed her right eye. The dog, named Chloe, was then immediately rushed to a veterinary hospital for emergency treatment at around 9pm (local time).

Gary Rogers, a spokesman for the Nassau County SPCA, said on Monday morning, 4 December, that the dog had undergone emergency surgery to reattach her eye and added that the veterinarian who treated Chloe is hopeful that the pooch will regain her sight with proper care and treatment.

The dog has been returned to the family.

However, the spokesman said, "We're monitoring the situation. We'll be up visiting them.

"I hate to say I've seen it all because every time I say it, I see something else. They're friendly dogs. They're popular dogs. She was wagging her tail and licking me," Rogers told the New York Daily News.

The SPCA said that Kluger has been given a summons to appear in First District Court in Hempstead on 27 December.

Incidentally, this is not the first time a dog has been bitten by a human being. In August, a Toronto woman was caught on camera biting and hitting her dog on a train.

The woman's co-passengers looked on in shock as the woman bit and then repeatedly hit the pup, and yanked its head causing it to yelp. As the frightened animal tried to escape, she pulled it back, saying "stop it now, you hear me" while hitting the pup.

However, it is not known whether she faced any legal action for animal cruelty.