Earlier this year I had the massively heartbreaking experience of putting our 13-year-old Maltese poodle down due to inoperable heart problems. It was a truly harrowing experience, despite it being so peaceful. Even though we and our vet agreed it was the best thing for her, I felt horrifically guilty. I won’t claim I was a top-tier dog mom, but I can’t imagine ever hurting her or any animal on purpose.
And yet, there are men like Eric Lyn Holliday, 58, of California who do the absolutely unthinkable to their dogs. People reported that the Orange County man faces multiple felony charges after surveillance footage shows him allegedly tying a rope from his SUV to a parking bollard, fastening it around the pregnant Maltese’s neck, and “driving until the animal’s neck had been snapped,” Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer wrote in a statement on Facebook.
“There is a special place in hell for people who abuse animals,” Spitzer shared in the post. “This was not an act of rage. This was a clear plan to kill a defenseless animal.”
The alleged incident happened in an alley in Anaheim. A security camera captured Holliday pulling into the alley around 7:35 a.m. December 1, 2025. After he was reportedly seen killing the dog, footage shows that he got out of the truck, seemingly checked to ensure the dog was dead, and then left her in the alley for a manager of a nearby business to find. It was the manager who called police.
Holliday is apparently on probation after pleading guilty to a felony assault charge on October 15, according to People. Now he can add two new felony charges to his rap sheet. One is for animal cruelty, and the other is for possession of a hard drug with two or more prior convictions. Authorities say Holliday had “several baggies of methamphetamine” on him when he was arrested. He faces up to 13 years of imprisonment if he is convicted of both charges.
“Only someone who is pure evil could engage in such reprehensible conduct, and we will ensure the Court clearly understands what this individual is capable of and the threat he poses to public safety before any sentence is imposed,” assured Spitzer in the statement on social media. “Violence against animals will never be tolerated, and every act of animal abuse will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
