Man Accused of Shooting Dog Faces Sept. Court Date

An Upper Bucks man charged with shooting his dog in the head 32 times with a pellet gun was arraigned in court on Tuesday.

Paul Bevan-Xenelis, 39, faces two misdemeanor counts of cruelty to animals and a lesser charge for having an unlicensed dog.

Bail was set at $33,000; he was released after posting the required 10 percent, or $3,300 cash, according to court records.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for September 2 in Judge Mark Douple's district courtroom.

Meanwhile, Doylestown Township police chief Stephen White said Tuesday that officers continue to investigate whether Bevan-Xenelis also tried to poison the dog, an American bulldog named Kane.

"We found some hot dog pieces next to the dog that we think were tainted," White said, adding that the township police is working with the Bucks County District Attorney's office on that angle. "We won't know more until we have them tested, which we plan to do."

Bevan-Xenelis is with a pellet gun as it was tied to a fence at Doylestown Country Club, where he worked.

Kane didn't die from the shots, but had to be euthanized because of the injuries. Eight slugs were recovered from the dog's body, according to the Bucks County SPCA.

As with many cases of animal cruelty, the case is attracting attention not just from locals but from across the country and even the world.

White said the Doylestown Township police department is being bombarded with phone calls and emails from outraged animal lovers.

"We're getting an unbelievable amount of response from all over the place," White said.

Crimes humans perpetuate on each other don't often get much public response, unless there are extreme circumstances - sometimes not even crimes against children, he said.

"But something about cases of animal cruelty just really enrage people," said White, who has been a police officer for 39 years. "This one certainly did."