A 22 year old man is charged with willfully causing unnecessary pain to an animal after an incident in St. Catharines on Sunday.
Police say residents in the Rockwood Avenue area saw a man walking a dog around 2pm Sunday when they noticed the man take the animal behind a plaza and become violent with the dog.
Witnesses reported to police that they attempted to intervene but the man left the area with the dog after exchanging words.
Niagara Regional Police were contacted and they were able to locate the man and the dog.
Timothy Barry of no fixed address is facing charges.
Police say investigation revealed that the suspect was "dog sitting" Chloe the dog.
Chloe is described as a Collie Lab cross, approximately 5 years old.
She was assessed by a member of the Niagara Region Animal Services and returned to the rightful owner.
Chloe did not suffer any apparent injuries.