A Warren man has been charged with animal cruelty for a second time this year after allegedly attacking his dog at a local animal shelter.

Warren Police arrested 40-year-old Benjamin Talanca at the Healthy Hearts and Paws shelter on Martin Luther King Avenue.

The shelter was holding onto Talanca’s dog after he had gotten in trouble with police. Healthy Hearts President Jason Cooke told police Talanca showed up at their front door demanding the dog back on Wednesday. Cooke said they had no legal authority to keep the dog and had to hand him over but that’s when volunteers say Talanca went off.

“[He] grabbed the dog by the collar and was like twisting the collar and getting down in the dog and telling the dog he’s a bad service dog,” Cooke told 21 News. 

To get the dog away from Talanca, Cooke wrestled him to the ground.

“Probably a five minute scuffle with me on the ground with this guy,” Cooke said. “...and I'm rolling around in the ground with him and I'm just trying to get him to calm down.” 

Talanca was arrested and booked into the county jail on a charge of animal cruelty.

Authorities filed the same charge against Talanca in late June after police say he spit at and threw a can of iced tea at a woman who asked him to stop whipping his dog with a leash at Perkins Park. Talanca pled guilty to the assault charge and in exchange the animal cruelty charge was dropped. He was placed on probation for one year.

Talanca was arranged for the latest animal cruelty charge on Friday. He remains in jail Friday night and is being held without bond. 

Cooke hopes the court convicts Talanca this time and orders him to never have an animal again. 

”I love giving people second chances, third chances…but like is said as far as I'm concerned he's forfeited  his privilege to have a dog,” Cooke said. 

The dog Mic is doing fine and is still at the shelter. Cooke said if the court gives them custody, they’ll neuter the four year old dog and place him with a family that will treat him right.

Cooke said because of the incident the shelter will now have their cameras on 24/7 and will be locking their doors for the safety of their volunteers.