KIRKSVILLE (AP) – A Missouri man was charged with animal abuse on accusations of stabbing a pit bull to death.

The Kirksville Daily Express reported that 29-year-old Jeffrey Lynn Vance of Kirksville was jailed on the felony charge.

Thursday night, police found the dog lying in a pool of blood with what appeared to be a stab wound to the neck. Police said Vance was intoxicated and covered in blood.

Police said Vance told them the dog bit him and he stabbed it in response. The dog was a service dog, assisting Vance with an undisclosed medical condition.

The dog died later at a veterinary care center.