Ex-boyfriend accused of killing Pomeranian, returning its paws in a bag

A Northern California man is accused of killing his ex-girlfriend’s dog, cooking the Pomeranian and secretly serving it to her during a dinner when the pair were, in theory, making up.

Now he’s behind bars on domestic violence-related charges after she relayed the gruesome story to police.

The woman, who has not been identified, told Redding police she last saw her beloved Pomeranian, Bear, about a month ago when she fled out the back door of her apartment during a fight with her then-boyfriend, 34-year-old Ryan Eddy Watenpaugh.

When she returned, Watenpaugh and the dog were gone.

Then, during a brief make-up period earlier this month, Watenpaugh cooked her a meal that included meat and is accused of following up with a text message asking how her dog tasted.

Watenpaugh is also accused of sending texts to the woman about what he planned to do with the remnants of Bear, such as sending her the severed paws.

The woman told police she saw Watenpaugh pull up to her apartment about 1 a.m. Tuesday and do just that, leaving them in a bag outside. It was not clear if the rest of the dog’s remains were ever recovered.

She also claimed that Watenpaugh assaulted her and held her against her will during their time together, police said.

A team of Redding police investigators, Shasta County sheriff’s deputies, and special agents from the state corrections department found Watenpaugh on Thursday and arrested him during a traffic stop in Palo Cedro, Calif.

Watenpaugh admitted to sending the text messages and dropping off dog paws at the ex-girlfriend’s home. But he denied killing or cooking the Pomeranian, police said.

During a subsequent search of Watenpaugh’s home, authorities said, they found a “Romanian variant AK-47 assault rifle and multiple high capacity magazines.”

Watenpaugh is scheduled to be arraigned later this week on charges that include domestic violence, false imprisonment, stalking and animal cruelty. Prosecutors, meanwhile, are reviewing whether the assault rifle was legally brought to California, Redding Police Sgt. Todd Cogle said.

Watenpaugh is being held in lieu of $250,000 bail at Shasta County jail.

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