Woman throws dog off balcony in cruel act that has sent shockwaves around the world

A 46-year-old woman has been arrested after she threw her partner’s Pug off a seventh floor balcony.

Shelley Nicole Vaughn has been charged with felony animal cruelty for killing three-year-old Bucky, who his owner Eric Adeson describes as the sweetest and most playful canine companion any pet parent could ever ask for.

"I never thought anybody could do that," said Adeson speaking about what Vaughn did. "I never thought anybody would have that in them."

Adeson, who had been dating Vaughn for several months, ended their relationship in early February but says Vaughn appeared at his Clearwater condo on Sunday smelling of alcohol and being verbally aggressive. 

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When Adeson asked her to leave, she refused and instead picked up Bucky, walked out to the balcony and threw him over. It’s an act that Adeson says has left him completely traumatized.

"She picked up Bucky over there, and she just smiled and just threw them off the balcony," said Adeson.

Rushing to the carpark below, Adeson hoped that Bucky would survive the seven-storey fall. "I went downstairs and I hugged him, but I mean, it was seven floors, so. I kept thinking maybe he’d get up," he says.

While Vaughn was arrested and charged, Adeson says that nothing will bring his beloved Bucky back. Still, Clearwater law enforcement feels it’s important that Vaughn is held responsible for her actions. 

"We felt it necessary to do something big and loud to scream to the community that these kinds of acts are unacceptable. We are not going to allow that kind of behavior in our community," said attorney Katherine Neal with Carey Leisure & Neal.