Great Falls man charged after chained pit bull dies while trying to get to shade

A Great Falls man was arrested Sunday, almost a week after a chained dog choked to death trying to get to shade in his yard, according to a Great Falls Police Department report.

Keon Torrance Gladden, 23, has been charged with ill treatment of animals, jail records show.

Great Falls police responded to a report of animal cruelty at a Walnut Street house on July 10 at about 5:15 p.m., the report says. The complainant told officers he believed the dog was being mistreated and told police he had checked on the dog many times before, the report says.

He said found the dog dead in the yard just before 5 p.m., bloating and covered in flies and maggots, the report says.

The dog, a blue pit bull, was chained to a pole in the yard with a belt for a collar and very little shade, the report says. The temperatures for the day were in the mid to upper 90s, officers said.

The dog choked to death while trying to crawl to a nearby bush for shade, the report says. Officers said there were two bowls near the dog, but the food bowl was upside down and the water bowl was dry and dusty, the report says.

There was a dog house in the yard, but the dog’s chain was too short to reach it, the report says.

The complainant said he bought a harness for the dog, but the harness was lying in the yard broken, the report says.

This story was originally published July 19, 2017 at 2:16 PM with the headline "Great Falls man charged after chained pit bull dies while trying to get to shade."