Man In Jail For Getting Dog Drunk

A Helena man has been charged with animal cruelty for getting his dog four times more drunk than the legal limit for humans driving motor vehicles. Todd Harold Schrier, 49, also faces a felony drug charge related to the March 1 incident. At about 11:30 p.m. that night, East Helena police responded to a report of an intoxicated dog being cared for at Smith’s Bar and found Arly II, a Pomeranian or Pomeranian cross, who could not walk a straight line and kept falling over when placed on the floor, according to an affidavit filed by police in District Court. The dog had drunk in a car outside the bar and was reported to police by customers, according to the bar’s owner. An intoxicated person who claimed part ownership of the 20-pound dog told police that Schrier had given the dog about a “to-go cup of vodka,” police wrote/ Sanjay Talwani , Helena Independent-Record. More here.

Question: Is this a situation worthy of an animal cruelty charge?