Police: Taylor man killed, burned dog for coming inside house

A Taylor man is accused of killing and burning his 10-year-old Labrador retriever for coming inside his house last year, an arrest affidavit released on Monday said.

Ronnie Woods was charged with cruelty to a non-livestock animal, a state jail felony punishable by up to two years in jail.

A police officer was asked on Nov. 25, 2019, to check on the welfare of an animal at a house at 1250 Texas 95 South in Taylor, the affidavit said.

Woods, who lived at the house, told the officer that he thought his dog, “Levi,” a 10-year-old Labrador retriever, had rabies so he killed the dog and attempted to burn his body, according to the affidavit. Woods did not state any reasons why he thought the dog had rabies, police said.

Woods then changed his story saying that the dog lived outside but managed to get into the house, where he found the dog sleeping on a mattress, according to the affidavit. Woods said he got “very frustrated” and struck the dog on the head with a cane one to three times which killed the animal, the affidavit said.

He said he then dragged the dog’s body out of the house and set him on fire in a burn pile, police said. It said the officer saw the dog’s half-burned body on the burn pile. Woods was booked into the Williamson County Jail on Thursday and still being held there Monday with bail set at $10,000.

The affidavit did not say why the charge wasn’t filed against Woods until April 8.