Police say a New Hampshire woman is charged with shoving her golden retriever off a dock and standing by while the pet drowned.

Merrimack Police Chief Denise Roy called the incident earlier this month "disturbing."

Sixty-six-year-old Nancy Bucciarelli was arrested Friday on a misdemeanor animal cruelty charge.

Witnesses said Bucciarelli stood by and watched on June 8 as her 11-year-old dog struggled in Naticook Lake in Merrimack, New Hampshire. Others jumped into the lake to help, but it was too late.

Bucciarelli didn't respond to a message left at her home on Sunday, and it's unclear if she has a lawyer. She is due to appear in court later this month.