Thurston County man gets jail time for clubbing his dog

A man who beat his dog with a club earlier this year will have to surrender the animal, following a guilty plea made Wednesday in Thurston County Superior Court.

Canaan W. Capo, 20, of Thurston County was arrested in March and charged with first-degree animal cruelty after a neighbor saw him chasing his dog, named Oden, with a club or baseball bat. He pleaded guilty Wednesday to a lesser charge: second-degree animal cruelty.

He was sentenced to 364 days in jail, with 334 days of the sentence suspended for two years. Conditions of the sentence include surrendering Oden, possessing no animals, and committing no new criminal offenses. As long as Capo meets those conditions for two years, he’ll have to serve only 30 days in jail.

Public Defender Luke Swinney said that Capo has showed remorse, and is upset about losing the dog. Capo declined to speak at the hearing, but did admit in court documents to striking the animal.

Judge Mary Sue Wilson said that because Capo opted not to speak, she could only base her perception of what happened to the dog off of what attorneys said and what was written in court documents. She said she pictured Capo hitting a cowering animal.

“I can’t begin to understand why that would happen,” Wilson said.

Swinney said that Oden had a history of biting, and that his client overreacted.

Thurston County Animal Services began investigating Capo on March 25 after a neighbor called 911 to report her neighbor chasing his dog with a baseball bat or club. She reported the dog tried to get away from Capo and hid under a car. Capo pulled the dog out and continued to beat him, according to court documents.

Two Animal Services officers and four deputies from the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office responded to the home. Capo immediately came out and said, “I’m the one you need to be talking to,” according to court documents.

Capo reportedly told investigators that he hit Oden because the dog was growling at him. He told them, “Sometimes he just flips out and I don’t know why,” according to court documents.

Capo said he didn’t own a bat.

Investigators reported the dog’s demeanor appeared depressed and guarded. His ears were lying flat, his body was hunched, and the right side of his head was swollen. He appeared afraid of Capo.

One Animal Services officer took Oden to a veterinary hospital, where a veterinarian found eye and head injuries consistent with blunt force trauma, according to court documents.

This story was originally published July 6, 2017 at 7:00 AM with the headline "Thurston County man gets jail time for clubbing his dog."