Scottsdale man arrested for allegedly stabbing his service dog to death

PHOENIX – In a disturbing incident, a Phoenix-area man has been arrested for allegedly killing his service dog in a violent knife attack.

Scottsdale police arrested 27-year-old Jacob Bushkin on Thursday evening at his attorney’s office, Sgt. Ben Hoster told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Friday.

Cub, a 4-year-old golden retriever, was a state-qualified service animal.

“This is a very brutal attack on a very gentle animal, and obviously it shocks the conscience,” Hoster said.

Bushkin faces charges of killing a service animal and animal cruelty, both class 6 felonies.

The maximum sentence for a class 6 felony, the least serious felony under Arizona law, is two years.

“I believe the service dog was there for [Bushkin] related to his mental illness issues,” Hoster said.

Hoster didn’t know the details about Bushkin’s mental illness but said the suspect told police he’d been off his medication.

“He does have a history of threatening others with weapons,” Hoster said.

Family members found Cub’s body Monday in a garbage can at Bushkin’s home near Thomas and Hayden roads after Bushkin told them the dog was dead.

They took the body to a Phoenix veterinarian, who called police and the Arizona Humane Society after observing dozens of knife wounds.

Investigators found the knife, bloody clothes and other evidence of the crime at Bushkin’s residence after serving a search warrant, Hoster said.

A necropsy conducted at Midwestern University in Glendale found more than 100 stab wounds.

KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Madison Spence contributed to this report.

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