VIDALIA – When his longtime companion, a 12-year-old Labrador retriever, walked to David Masters’ door Sunday evening, Masters was stunned at the sight.

&uot;I wondered how he could even walk, he was messed up so bad,&uot; Masters said of Malcolm, his pet of 11 years.

Masters was speaking of an incident in which a Vidalia man allegedly hacked the dog in the head, mouth and shoulder with a machete. The dog received dozens of stitches for his injuries and has to be given shots and pills three times a day to keep infection at bay.

Mortemer R. Cardwell, 44, of 206 Jefferson St., was arrested and charged with aggravated cruelty to an animal, probation violation and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in connection with the incident.

Cardwell was being held at the Concordia Parish Correctional Facility on $25,000 bond.

Investigator Dale Cowan of the Concordia Parish Sheriff’s Office said according to reports Cardwell was driving down Minorca Road with two other people late Sunday afternoon when he saw two dogs on the side of the road.

&uot;Cardwell put his bulldog out to fight (the dogs),&uot;&160;Cowan said. At some point, Cown said, Cardwell then allegedly took a machete out of his truck, using it to severely cut Malcolm’s upper body.

Cowan said the incident was one of the worst cases of cruelty he had ever seen. He did not specify a motive for the attack.