Authorities in Utah arrested a man on suspicion of beating his girlfriend’s dog with a hammer earlier this year.

According to Fox News, 50-year-old Millcreek resident Stanley Jocelyn allegedly reacted to the dog, named Temper, snatching food off of his plate as he ate in the living room of his home in August.

KUTV cited a probable cause affidavit that laid out the case against the suspect.

“Upon defendant making a move towards Temper, the dog bit him,” the court document reads. “Jocelyn then retrieved a hammer and repeatedly struck Temper in the head.”

Jocelyn’s girlfriend, the dog’s owner, found Temper’s bloodied body on the sofa and screamed at him that he “killed the dog.”

A short time later, a neighbor transported the animal to a nearby veterinary hospital. After undergoing major emergency surgery, Temper survived his injuries.

Among the extensive damage Jocelyn allegedly inflicted was a “crushing injury to his skull” and “bleeding from one or both nostrils.”

The neighbor reportedly later told police that Jocelyn would likely retaliate for taking the injured animal to the vet.

Reports indicate he was charged this week with a criminal count of torture of a companion animal. An arrest warrant was issued at the same court hearing.

[Featured image: Stanley Jocelyn, Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office]