Palm Coast man accused of aggravated animal cruelty, killing dog by strangulation

Palm Coast man allegedly strangled dog to death, wife speaks with FOX 35
A Palm Coast man was arrested Thursday on a felony charge of aggravated animal cruelty after investigators say he strangled a dog to death earlier this year. FOX 35's Stephanie Buffamonte spoke with the mans wife who says she is now divorcing him.
ORLANDO, Fla. - A Palm Coast man was arrested Thursday on a felony charge of aggravated animal cruelty after investigators say he strangled a dog to death earlier this year.
Allegedly strangled 15-month-old dog to death
What we know:
Howard Blair, 55, was taken into custody by Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies on May 29 after a warrant was issued for his arrest.

Howard Blair | CREDIT: Flagler County Sheriff's Office
According to the sheriff’s office, the case stems from an incident in January when deputies responded to an animal complaint at a residence in Palm Coast and found that a 15-month-old American Bulldog/Labrador Retriever mix named Nutmeg had died the previous night.

Nutmeg
According to officials, the investigation revealed that Blair killed Nutmeg by strangulation after she bit another dog during feeding. Deputies said he then wrapped the dog’s body in a blanket, placed her in a plastic bin, and buried her in the backyard.
A warrant was obtained for Blair’s arrest on May 27, and he was booked into the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility. He was released on a $2,500 bond.

Howard Blair during his arrest on May 29, 2025
Wife speaks with FOX 35, says she is filing for divorce
What they're saying:
The man’s wife, Rhonda Blair, tells FOX 35 Orlando that she’s filed for a divorce because of what he allegedly did. She’s devastated over what happened and misses her dog, Nutmeg, who was just 15 months old.
"It has been really hard. I miss her so much every day. She was a good girl. She was learning; she learned 12 tricks. She was smart, she was loving," said Rhonda Blair.

Rhonda Blair, wife of Howard Blair
She said she was there the night her husband was accused of killing the dog with his bare hands.
"I went into the house and said, ‘Where's Nutmeg?’ And he said, ‘She's dead. I choked her out'," she explained. "I saw her on the ground, and she was gone."
Howard Blair told deputies that Nutmeg, an American Bulldog and lab mix, had bitten their other dog, Jackson, a chihuahua, and he was defending the small dog. And, his wife said that’s not what she had witnessed that night.

Photos of Nutmeg
"Jackson growled at Nutmeg. She growled back and lunged but did not attack him. I want to clarify that. Jackson was knocked to the ground by my husband. He received blunt force trauma and traumatic brain injury. The husband took Nutmeg in the house, choked her, and pinched her nose until she died," Rhonda Blair said.
Deputies said the dogs were separated before he allegedly strangled Nutmeg. Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly said it is tragic that a defenseless dog died in such a painful way.
"You felt that instead of trying to discipline or teach the dog not to fight with your other dogs, you're just going to strangle it to death," said Sheriff Staly. "It really takes, in my mind, a crazed person to put their hands around an animal's neck, or anybody's neck, and to strangle a dog takes a lot of pressure, just like when you strangle a human, and it's very painful until they eventually die."
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The Source: The information in this article comes from a report shared by the Flagler County Sheriff's Office.