A Bend man was arrested Monday on suspicion of throwing a puppy and assaulting his girlfriend.

According to a Bend Police news release, police were called to a domestic dispute at 9:48 p.m. on Monday at a transient camp on the north end of Bend.

At the transient camp, police found Bret Vincent Barton, Jr., 23, and his girlfriend, 22-year-old Michelle Binder. According to police, an investigation determined that Binder and Barton were walking along the railroad tracks near Butler Market Road when Barton, upset with Binder, allegedly punched and kicked her in the head. Binder was holding a 6-week-old female pit mix puppy during the alleged assault, and Barton allegedly took the puppy and threw it against a metal electrical box. Police was found in the area, dead from a fractured skull.

Barton was arrested on suspicion of first-degree aggravated animal abuse and fourth-degree assault. He is currently lodged in the Deschutes County jail.