An Anchorage man told authorities he was trying to teach his dog to follow commands when he took Toby the Rottweiler's leash off, told him to stay and walked across a busy stretch of Boniface Parkway.

When he called his 7-month old pup, police said, it ran into the street and was hit and killed by a truck. That got Robert Holcomb a charge on Thursday of animal cruelty from the police and a $50 ticket for an unrestrained pet from Animal Control. After the collision, Holcomb tossed Toby into a trash bin, according to authorities and witnesses. That violation of the city code got him a $200 citation, said Carley Odenheimer, spokeswoman for Animal Control.

Toby died Sept. 19, about 8 p.m., according to witnesses. Holcomb said the road looked clear when he called to his dog, according to Anchorage police.

"(Holcomb) wanted to call the dog and he wanted the dog to listen," said police Detective Slav Markiewicz. "He started across the street, and he said he waited for the traffic to clear . . . He looked just in time to see the dog in front of the truck being hit."

Charles Chinnis, assistant manager of Pizza Time, 360 Boniface Parkway, said he watched Holcomb take Toby out of his car after he ordered a pizza to go. Chinnis said the dog was on a leash.

Holcomb crossed the street to buy cigarettes from Party Time Liquor, where he talked to a clerk who also owned a Rottweiler, the detective said.

On his way back to Pizza Time, Holcomb decided to have Toby do a "training exercise," something he told Markiewicz that he and Toby had practiced before, on "marked pedestrian walkways," the detective said.

Holcomb told police that Toby died instantly when he was run over. He tried to close the puppy's eyes, but they wouldn't close. He then dragged the dog back to his car, put it inside and drove to a nearby garbage bin.

"He went and threw the dog inside the Dumpster," Markiewicz said.

Some witnesses said Holcomb picked up the pizza before he threw the dog in the trash bin; others say he dumped the dog first, the detective said.

Markiewicz said Holcomb described Toby as his best friend.  "I talked to him and he didn't come across as a callous person who had something against animals," Markiewicz said. But the decision to train the dog on a very busy stretch of Boniface was negligent, the detective said.

"He doesn't have to be reckless or knowing," Markiewicz said. "If someone is negligent, that person can be charged."

Police also cited Holcomb for driving with a revoked license, Markiewicz said. Both police citations are considered misdemeanors.

Reference:

Anchorage Daily News