Floyd, the one-year-old Chihuahua found dead on May 23, had reportedly been abused for several weeks before his death. Adopted on April 6 by his alleged killer Kyle Barbre, 21, after just over a month at the County Animal Shelter, Floyd was a stray known by the animal volunteers who worked with him as “a sweet, playful, young, adorable dog,” said Give a Dog a Home co-founder Lynnie Shaw.
On the evening of May 23, remembers Animal Rescue Team executive director and co-founder Julia di Sieno, who happened to be working the team’s 24/7 animal rescue hotline, Barbre’s distressed girlfriend called to report the dog’s abuse. Di Sieno called 9-1-1, prompting Sheriff’s detectives to launch an investigation out of Barbre’s apartment on Armitos Avenue in Goleta, where he lived with his father.
One week before Floyd’s death, a neighbor reportedly called authorities after hearing a dog crying for 15 minutes. The nature of the abuse remains unclear.