A 29-year-old man was arrested Thursday after witnesses said he tossed his dog over the edge of an 80-foot embankment.

Ronald William Peters, a transient, was taken to the Jackson County Jail and held on charges of aggravated animal abuse, disorderly conduct and menacing.

Keith Kelly, one of several witnesses, said he couldn’t believe how the man treated his dog.

“He picked the dog up under its belly and chucked it right over the bank,” Kelly said. “No animal needs that kind of abuse.”

A few minutes later, Kelly said the dog staggered back up the slope and its owner grabbed it by the scruff of its neck and ground its head into the dirt.

The incident occurred about 6 p.m. Thursday after Peters was seen bouncing a basketball on the street next to a Gold Hill shop. Kelly said the ball got away from Peters and it hit a Suburban.

Peters then got into an argument with the owner of the vehicle, Kelly said.

After the fight subsided, Peters began ranting and raving and punching a couple of other cars, onlookers said. He then threw his dog over a cliff overlooking the Rogue River, witnesses said.

When the dog crawled back, passers-by said the owner started beating it. Several people told the man to stop, and they called police.

Police found Peters lying in a nearby park and arrested him. He was held on $10,000 bail. More charges could be added later.

Gold Hill interim Police Chief Dave Crawford said the dog’s fall was probably broken by brush growing on the cliff face.

The dog didn’t appear to have any serious injuries. It will be kept at the kennel until Monday, and then placed with Jackson County Animal Control.