Florida Keys woman accused of drowning puppy, police say

KEY WEST — A Florida Keys woman is behind bars after she was accused of intentionally drowning a puppy earlier this week.
Delaine Abee Lowry, 72, was arrested and charged with animal cruelty on Monday, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said.
Around 3:30 p.m. Monday, deputies were called out to a home on Palmetto Drive where a neighbor said Lowry allegedly asked him if she could “bury a dead, 6- to 10-month-old mini schnauzer puppy” in his yard and declined her request, the sheriff’s office said.
Lowry was found at her Big Pine Key home shortly after the incident and admitted to drowning the dog. According to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, she said the dog was going to kill her and deputies found the dead animal in a plastic grocery bag on her property, along with a container filled with water surrounded by wet dirt.
The Florida Keys SPCA was notified of the incident and a necropsy is pending. Meanwhile, Lowry was taken to jail.
“This is a deeply disturbing case,” said Monroe County Sheriff Rick Ramsay. “Animal cruelty will not be tolerated in our community.”