Eunice man cited for killing 16-year-old deaf dog

A Eunice man will appear in district court after he reportedly admitted to shooting and killing his neighbor’s dog, a 16-year-old deaf pug named Meiko.
St. Landry Parish Sheriff Bobby Guidroz said, “On April 11, I got a call from Ms. Evlin Lake, and she told me what happened. She was very upset, and I had the incident checked into. After a complete investigation, Leroy Arabie admitted to shooting the dog.”
A news release from the Humane Society of Louisiana stated that Brent Vidrine of Eunice let out his family’s 16-year-old black female pug, named “Meiko,” to relieve herself on April 10. When Vidrine went to let Meiko back inside, he could not find the dog, and he was joined in his search by his wife, Melissa. When the Vidrines were unable to locate the dog. The couple put up signs in their neighborhood. The couple also posted the dog’s photo on social media and offered a reward for her. 
The next day, Melissa’s parents, who also live in Eunice, joined the search, and the group began asking neighbors if they had seen Meiko. The search party stopped at the home of neighbor Leroy Arabie, and the man and his wife said they had both seen the dog.
Jeff Dorson, Humane Society of Lousiana director, said in a news release Arabie then told the group he shot and killed the dog and had thrown the animal into a trash bin. Dorson said Arabie also told the Vidrines he had killed the dog because Meiko’s presence caused his dogs to bark.
Following the sheriff’s department’s investigation, Arabie was issued a citation and a summons for aggravated cruelty to animals, which carries a maximum penalty of up to 10 years in jail and/or a fine up to $25,000.
“We have so many good-hearted people in this world, but unfortunately we still have people with a lack of knowledge and no regard for an animal’s life, Melissa said. “My goal in all of this painful event, is to bring awareness and hopefully save another helpless animal’s life.”
“We are grateful that Sheriff Guidroz, a professed pet lover, personally got involved in this matter and asked some of his senior staff members to lead the investigation,” Dorson said. “I think the community will be relieved to know that their Sheriff is accessible when needed and handles these types of calls promptly, efficiently and professionally.”
Following the incident, Lake, of Los Angeles, California, started an online petition calling for felony charges to be brought against Arabie for killing the dog. The petition is located at www.change.org, and it had more than 4,000 signatures as of Friday afternoon.
The Humane Society of Louisiana has also partnered with Toney Wade, a humane investigator from St. Mary Parish, and Wade will lead a series of animal cruelty investigation workshops around the state. Classes are open to all law enforcement officials or animal control officers. For more information contact Wade at toneywade@gmail.com.