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A Coon Valley man killed the family’s dog with a hammer Tuesday in front of his children, according to court records.

Joseph Clements, 51, admitted striking the animal with a hammer and throwing it over a fence, according to the complaint filed in La Crosse County Circuit Court.

Authorities recovered the dead dog and a bloody hammer from Clements’ garage at W2333 Hwy. 33.

One of his children said Clements was angry the dog, Thor, had urinated in the house. She witnessed Thor, on a deck, bloody and still on a leash next to her father, the complaint stated.

Prosecutors charged Clements with mistreatment of animals and disorderly conduct. He cannot have contact with his children or pets as conditions of his $1,000 signature bond.

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