Police say a man killed a family dog in a West Palm Beach backyard.

According to the arrest report, 21-year-old Scott Mills confessed to stabbing Max, his family’s 70-pound German Shepard/Poodle mix and also using a shovel as a weapon.

The arrest report states Scott answered the door and was detained without incident. Police then searched the backyard and found the animal’s body dug up.

Dave Aronberg, State Attorney for Palm Beach County said the problem with animal cruelty in the area is in part because the laws are so weak.

“If you commit animal cruelty it’s unlikely you’ll get even any prison time at all. That’s one reason I have made this issue a priority,” he said.

Aronberg says these types of cases are difficult to charge criminally if there’s no witnesses or video.

“It’s rare if anyone gets prison time, they may get jail time,” he said.

The arrest report says Mills claimed he did not believe animals are real, they are robots. West Palm Beach Police say he was taken to the county jail.