Who is Wayne Johnson? Washington man arrested for trying to kill his dog in desert says he thought he 'finished the job'
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA: Wayne Johnson, 76, a retired farmer from Spokane, Washington, was arrested in Nevada for allegedly trying to kill his dog, Kea, in a desert.
He claimed he wanted to euthanize her because she was old and sick. The dog reportedly had been together with family for 10 years and enjoyed hiking in the desert near Laughlin, Nevada, where Johnson and his wife often stayed at a motel.
Wayne Johnson said his dog Kea was too old and sick to live
In March 2023, Johnson decided that Kea was too old and sick to live. He said she had cancer and was urinating blood and he wanted to put her out of her misery.
With no gun, he bought a hammer and a knife and took Kea for one last hike on their favourite trail.
There, he hit her on the head with the hammer, hoping to knock her out.
Then he slit her throat twice with the knife and left her bleeding on the ground near Nevada Telephone Cove and Red Hill Road on March 18.
He told police he "thought he finished the job and left" and he wanted the wild animals to eat her because he believed it was the "circle of life," Fox 5 reported.
How was Kea found?
But, Kea was not dead. She was badly wounded, but still alive. A woman found her at around 11:40 am and called animal control.
The dog was taken to a vet who stitched up her wounds and inserted a feeding tube into her throat. The vet also scanned for a microchip in Kea’s neck and identified Johnson as her owner.
When Animal Control contacted Johnson, he admitted what he had done and told them while denying having done anything wrong.
He told them, "It was too bad that they were wasting all that money on a dying dog" as he had cancer and was urinating blood.
Was Kea the dog having cancer?
The vet, however, as per the report, found no evidence of cancer or blood in Kea’s urine.
She said the dog was healthy for her age and could have "lived longer with proper care."
But, Kea did not survive the surgery. She was euthanized at The Animal Foundation.
Johnson was arrested on September 14 in Laughlin and charged with one count of torturing an animal. He faces up to four years in prison and a $5,000 fine, if convicted.
