A Co. Donegal man was arrested last week and charged with torturing and injuring an animal after he shot and stabbed his newlywed bride's dog to death in their Bronx home on Wednesday, October 29.

Brian McCafferty, 28, a native of Ballyshannon, Co. Donegal, pleaded not guilty in Bronx Criminal Court on Friday, October 31, after he killed his wife's beagle, which she had named Jerry.

McCafferty shot the neutered, 26-pound male with an air rifle and stabbed him with a kitchen knife after a 5 a.m. dispute with his wife, who he married in September.

According to the ASPCA, an autopsy report concluded that Jerry the beagle was stabbed twice and shot in the neck by the air rifle.

"The wound was so gaping you could see the intestines," said Joseph Pentangelo, a spokesman for the ASPCA. "He lost a significant amount of blood."

McCafferty, a strong, 6' construction worker who came to New York from Ireland seven years ago, returned to his Throggs Neck home in the Bronx, which he shared with his wife Jeanine Tullimero, 30, at 4:45 a.m. after a heavy night of drinking with friends.

An argument ensued between the couple and, according to police, Tullimero, stormed out of their apartment. She returned an hour later to find her dog lying in a pool of blood.

Neighbors told the New York Post that a horrified Tullimero wailed, "Where's my dog? Where's my dog?" when she returned home and found Jerry's lifeless, bloody body. She discovered a blood stained kitchen knife and an air rifle lying not far from her dog's body.

She then frantically called 911, and McCafferty was arrested.

McCafferty has one prior arrest for assault, police said, adding that it did not involve his wife or animals.

McCafferty is claiming self-defense after he said the beagle attached him and jumped at his throat. "I killed the dog. The dog attacked me and jumped at my throat. I stabbed the dog and I shot the dog with my BB gun. I hated that dog," he told police.

McCafferty was charged with aggravated cruelty to animals, possession of firearms and torturing and injuring animals.

McCafferty's lawyer Martin Galvin told the judge at McCafferty's arraignment last Friday that his client received an injury to his right hand during the struggle, and he had to receive medical treatment at a local hospital after the incident. "He was bitten during the incident and he reacted," Galvin said.

It is believed that McCafferty was released on a $50,000 bail bond on Monday and will appear in court again in the coming weeks. McCafferty is also ordered to stay away from his wife.