A woman was taking out the trash in a locality in Santa Ana, California, when she witnessed a man kicking a tiny Chihuahua repeatedly. She yelled at him to stop, but he didn’t listen. So, the woman informed the police.













By the time the police came, the dog had become severely battered from the beating. He was tied in electrical wires, and a bungee cord was tightened around his throat. The abuser, later identified as 28-year-old Jose Manuel Pantoja, was standing over the dog.

Police took Jose into custody, and the Chihuahua was rushed to the hospital. There, he was in emergency care for his several grave injuries, including a broken pelvis. He was found to be a 10-year-old named Max. Soon, his mom, Stephany Chavez, was tracked down, and she came running for Max, who had been missing for a while.













Max is currently under recovery. Stephany is devastated, but also thankful that he came out as a survivor. The culprit, Jose, was found to have a past criminal record for assault. We hope he receives the strictest sentence for this spine-chilling act of cruelty.

Click the video below to watch an update on Max’s recovery and the status of Jose’s proceedings.