Man enters plea on attempted dog-drowning charge

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A 20-year-old man accused of trying to drown his Shih Tzu, Toby, after the dog defecated on a carpet pleaded no contest today to felony animal cruelty, officials said.

Casey Purser was charged with the single felony count on Oct. 4, 2007, following his arrest. Purser had been in jail on an unrelated drug case and was released on bail three days earlier, said Sandi Gibbons, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office.

When Purser returned to his Van Nuys home, he found that the Shih Tzu, one of his two dogs, had defecated on the carpet. He allegedly threw the dog into a bathtub and held it under water, Gibbons said.

A neighbor rescued the dog, gave it mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and took it to a veterinarian. The animal survived. Purser’s other dog, a pit bull puppy named Evesue, was taken by authorities when Purser was arrested at the veterinarian’s office.

At his arraignment hearing Friday, Van Nuys Superior Court Judge Richard Kirschner ordered Purser to undergo a 90-day diagnostic study prior to sentencing, according to Deputy Dist. Atty. Jane Creighton.

Released on bond, Purser was ordered to surrender on Aug. 4 for the study, Creighton said.

-- Francisco Vara-Orta