A 79-year-old man is now facing animal abuse charges after he tied his German Shepard to his golf cart and began dragging the dog on a road.

The incident occurred in Fort Walton beach near Eglin Parkway and Highway Avenue.

Witnesses say the saw the suspect, Dean Woodyatt, driving his golf cart in the road with the dog tied to it and tried to stop him. Woodyatt, however, refused to pull over even when the dog collapsed.

A good Samaritan was eventually able to chase Woodyatt down, however, Woodyatt prevented anyone from helping the animal.

When authorities arrived, Woodyatt tried to flee the scene but was immediately stopped and taken into custody.

The dog, was taken to an animal hospital where it died from heat-related injuries.

While no official charges have been filed against Woodyatt as of yet, the Panhandle Animal Welfare Society says they are looking at their options.