“He killed our dog,” Ian said.

When Richard Hunt got there, investigators were starting to piece together a crime that defied understanding. A boarder at Ian Hunt’s home had become enraged by the barking of his father’s emotional support dog, Midnight. The boarder was so angry, he strung the dog up by the neck with an electrical cord early Wednesday morning, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office said.

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The story got worse. At some point, authorities say, the boarder — a 38-year-old man from Texas named Robert Leroy Edwards — went back into the house, looking for assistance in the coverup. That’s when Edwards woke his teenage son and punched him when he would not help hide the dog’s remains, Richard Hunt told The Post.

Edwards’s lawyer did not immediately respond to an inquiry Friday.

By the time Ian called, Hunt says, Edwards was back outside. His son could see the dog hanging from the chicken coop. Then, in all the chaos and predawn darkness, the dog’s body disappeared.

They found Midnight’s remains stuffed in the back compartment of the Hunt family’s boat, Richard Hunt said. It was cold out, but the 6-year-old dog’s body was still warm. Hunt said it took several minutes to remove the makeshift noose from his companion, who always knew when the disabled veteran was having a breakdown or “living a moment” in his head.

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He has vowed to attend all of Edwards’s court hearings, as the man sits in custody on $62,000 bond.

“Biblical justice would be wonderful,” he said. “Nothing that they can do to him will be bad enough in my opinion.”

Officials say they are stunned by the violence that apparently ensued from ordinary canine behavior.

“We have no idea what brings him to that point,” said Randy Warren, a spokesman for the sheriff’s office. “It’s horrible that he did this to this family.”

Edwards was arrested on charges of torture inflicting pain and serious injury resulting in death of an animal; child abuse without great bodily harm; battery by touching or striking; and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

The boarder had not been with Ian Hunt for long. Not more than a week, Richard Hunt said. Edwards drank a lot, he said, but had not caused trouble as he made a living doing handy work.

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Then came Wednesday’s horror. An incident report says Edwards also punched Ian Hunt “numerous times” in the face, leaving bruises, after Ian headed downstairs to investigate the commotion.

Like the authorities, Richard Hunt says he cannot fathom the motivations of the man who smiled in his mug shot. He left his son’s home shaken, dwelling on Midnight’s last moments.

“I hope and pray that she was able to think of one of us who loved her and not that piece of scum,” he said.

There was a brighter thought, though: the three Chihuahuas waiting for him at the home he had just moved into in Sarasota.

They were always there to kiss their daddy when the world felt crazy — as it certainly did that day.