Anthony Bellman is arrested after tossing a 16-year-old Shih Tzu inside a garbage bag into a dumpster behind a Family Dollar store after ‘strangling the dog and trying to break her neck’

A Florida man was arrested for strangling a 16-year-old dog, stuffing her in a garbage bag and leaving her in a dumpster to die, police said.

Anthony Bellman, 55, was seen on surveillance camera throwing a black trash bag into a dumpster behind the Lehigh Acres Family Dollar on Bell Boulevard. He got into a blue SUV and sped away.

“We are one team coming together to be a voice for the innocent, like Xyla,” Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno said Monday. “We will never stop holding individuals accountable for these heinous actions here in this province.”

On December 14, an employee found the bag and discovered that the mostly blind Shih Tzu was inside. Xyla had a rope around her neck when she was found.

Police said Bellman tried to strangle the dog and break her neck with a leash instead of taking her for euthanasia.

An employee at the Lehigh Acres Family Dollar saw the bag moving and rescued the mostly blind dog, named Xyla, who had a rope around her neck.

Bellman told his family he was taking Xyla to be put to sleep, but he put her in a garbage bag and left her to die.

Bellman later told investigators that euthanasia would have been “too sad,” according to NBC 2.

Employees at the dollar store took Xyla to Blue Pearl Pet Hospital, according to the Lee County Sheriff's Office.

When veterinary staff scanned Xyla's microchip, they discovered that the original owners were dead. Detectives linked the dog to Bellman, who adopted Xyla after their deaths.

“Significant details led detectives to a nearby residence using the same vehicle that matched the vehicle driven by the suspect in the surveillance footage,” the sheriff's office wrote in a Facebook post.

The 55-year-old was wearing the same clothing as the suspect in the video.

He was taken in for questioning and subsequently charged with one count of aggravated animal cruelty.

Xyla is recovering from her injuries at Lee County Domestic Animal Services. The sheriff's office plans to work with the district attorney's office to find her a “loving home.”

“I am proud to announce that justice has indeed been served to a selfish and cruel individual who clearly has no respect for animals,” said Sheriff Marceno.

Xyla was taken to Blue Pearl Pet Hospital, where veterinary staff scanned her microchip and learned that her original owners had passed away

Xyla is recovering from her injuries at Lee County Domestic Animal Services. The sheriff's office plans to work with the District Attorney's Office to find her a 'loving home'

Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno spoke at a news conference Monday and announced that Bellman would be added to the recently approved animal abuser registry

If convicted, Bellman faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000. His name will also be added to the Lee County Animal Abuse Registry

The Shih Tzu is recovering at Lee County Domestic Animal Services and will be up for adoption

Aggravated animal cruelty is a third-degree felony in Florida, punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.

Bellman posted $50,000 bond Friday. A preliminary hearing will take place on January 16.

The 55-year-old “will now earn a well-deserved spot on our newly approved animal cruelty registry,” the sheriff's office said.

Earlier this month, Lee County commissioners voted to approve the creation of an index that will function similarly to the sex offender registry.

Those convicted of animal cruelty will have their names added to the list to deter others from adopting pets.