Man faces new charges after dumping 9 puppies

TYLER — Our news partner KETK reports that an East Texas man is facing additional charges after he allegedly abandoned nine puppies throughout Smith County. The charges come just days after he was arrested for abusing the puppies’ mother.

Bryson Joe Jeffery was first arrested in Tyler on the Fourth of July after he admitted to kicking and hitting his dog with a surge protector power strip. The next day, officers became aware that Jeffrey had abandoned nine recently born puppies across Smith County.

According to the arrest affidavit, the puppies were found in three different locations, including New Copeland Road and Wilma Street. One woman discovered two puppies at her front door and several others around the neighborhood. She took them to a local rescue called Angel Paws, where an employee stated the puppies were newborns and not able to open their eyes yet.

After officers discovered that all nine puppies had been placed with Angel Paws, they were transported to the Tyler Animal Shelter, where they were reunited with their mother, “Zoe”.

While speaking with officers, Jeffery claimed that he had given the puppies away and that “Zoe” had killed two of them. “Jeffery stated he gave away six of the eight puppies and that two of the puppies were killed by the mother,” the document said. “He stated he wrapped the two deceased puppies and placed them in a dumpster and the other puppies he gave away to random people, but could not provide information on who he gave the puppies to.” Officers said they were unable to find the two dead puppies Jeffery said he placed in the dumpster.

On July 9, Jeffrey’s sister was shown pictures of all the puppies and confirmed that the puppies had previously lived with Jeffrey. “[Jeffrey’s sister] said on July 1, Zoe was with her puppies and Jeffery got upset because the puppies were crying,” the affidavit said. “She saw Jeffrey take an orange shoe box and put all the puppies in the box. She said she saw him walk out the door and he was very angry.”

Jeffrey’s sister said she started to argue with Jeffrey to give her the puppies but he said no.
“Jeffrey told her that he was going to get rid of them because they cried too much,” the document said. “She followed him down Wilma Street and was asking to have the
puppies back and saying the puppies can’t be without their mother but Jeffrey
wouldn’t give the puppies back, so she went back to their apartment.”

According to the arrest affidavit, Jeffrey’s sister said that Jeffrey has “anger issues” and that this wasn’t the first time he hurt an animal. She went on to explain that she thinks Jeffrey beat her cat a few months ago. “She said when she got home from work her cat had his teeth broken out, a
broken tail and a bloody eye,” the document said. “Her cat was fine when she went to work that morning.”

Jeffery was arrested again on Friday for nine counts of cruelty to a non-livestock animal: failure to provide and is being held at the Smith County Jail on a $25,000 bond.