By Jana J. Pruet

DALLAS (Reuters) - Police in Texas have arrested a 44-year-old woman on suspicion of shooting dead her caged dog that had just given birth to a litter of puppies because she was "growing agitated" with her pet, police said on Monday.

Tammy Douglas of Springtown, about 60 miles (100 kms) northwest of Dallas, was arrested on Sunday for suspected animal cruelty. A lawyer for Douglas, who has been freed on bond, was not immediately available for comment.

Police said Douglas told them she shot her 4-year-old shepherd mix named Aowa in the head with a handgun while it was nursing its 10 puppies. Douglas then abandoned the blood-spattered puppies by the side of a nearby road.

“To a normal, caring human, this is an incomprehensible act," Parker County Sheriff Larry Fowler said.

"I can’t imagine what the suspect thought these puppies did in order to warrant her actions. Animal cruelty can never be justified," Fowler said in a statement.

The puppies were being cared for at an area ranch.

(Writing by Jon Herskovitz; Editing by Jim Loney)